Towards Elections

Today in South Africa, we live by the phrase “as the richer get richer, the poor are stuck in a poverty trap”.

Let’s sugarcoat that reality with the fact that come the 27^th of April 2014, we have officially turned 20 years in democracy. Wow!

Should we be proud?

I want to celebrate because we are supposedly free. But what are we free from?

South Africa is still faced with so many inequalities, the biggest in this category being the share of income. As we try to chase away problems of racism, we are now faced with the ongoing struggle by the middle class who are clearly economically discriminated against. The upper class, with no reference to colour, includes government officials who just continue to get richer from this income struggle by others. People in the middle class are pushed into the lower class trap, and well the lower class just continues to get worse. This information has placed me in a position where I do not feel the need to vote, because this inequality will just continue to grow. In 2009, I registered but I did not vote. At that time I was not clued up on what to look for when going to vote. I was young. My aunt kept on saying “vote for ANC, everyone is going to vote for them anyway”, I recoiled and offered my usual response when I hear the word ‘everyone’ “I am not everyone”. Anyway, speed up to 2014, I almost feel like I might not vote again.

For the past few days I have been questioning myself, why did I register? Am I really going to vote? When I registered I knew who I was going to vote for. This time I was completely sure. In fact I am not even afraid to tell you who. After registering I told my boyfriend “baby I am so going to vote for Agang”.  I could see myself voting for a leader, I was already envisioning change. Agang might not have made much of a dent nationally, but I was certain it was the beginning of something great. I walked out after registration feeling like yes, I am going to vote for change. I did my homework, I read up on the party and I believed in their policies. But then….it happened. I was so heartbroken. Then after a week she went back, I was even sadder.

I do not like leaders who do not show self-confidence. She could have rocked that stage by herself.  Anyway, moving on from that detriment; recently, all parties have been on the downside. ANC has been exposed of corruption within the party, even President Jacob Zuma has been noted as being supposedly ‘corrupt’. People are complaining about the ways in which government isn’t delivering on public services, but is always hyped to raise the tax. Where is the tax going? E-tolls? Nkandla? Why are the Sons and Daughters of Mayors getting tenders? It’s all in question. Government is ANC right? Right!

Okay let’s be realistic, government a.k.a ANC has done ‘some things’, so stop hopping about hysterically with that sign saying “No services”. They have some numbers, alleviated poverty there and there once every four years before election, after that the family will just get back to poverty, my bad for just rumbling I did not mean for that to sound bad. The numbers also show that there are more little ones being admitted at primary schools, there are more no fees schools even though the education is pathetic! My bad again, I can’t help it I am very passionate about children. My point is however, government has done something. But we can also add the fact that government is very corrupt, government a.k.a ANC, one and the same I always hear. Though I also believe our leaders reflect who we are. I will get back on that.

Now DA, part of that detriment mentioned earlier, also rides on that issue of self- confidence. Get the darkie inside and the bystander effect shall take effect, had fun saying that by the way. Back to what I am trying to say, I do not think apartheid can come back. Yes I said that, maybe apartheid in reverse with the possibility of EFF ruling. Now DA has the potential to rule and rule good, if they just stop pointing fingers or wondering “are people scared of us”, they can seriously rule SA. They were my second option. Then the Agang and DA disaster pushed me back into the clutches of ANC. nX!

Would it make me bias if I just skip EFF? I seriously have nothing good to say, and that will probably make me a terrible person because “You should always balance opinion with fact”, but this is my blog ‘my opinions rule’. Anywho! EFF, I seriously do not like Julius Malema and it has nothing to do with him being from Limpopo, I am so deeply in love with a Limpopian. Julius is very smart, very smart. He has good ideas and the best part is that he has the interest of the poor at heart, good for him. But I do not like him always infusing apartheid. I would like to wake up one day and not hear someone use the idea of apartheid as an excuse to why things are not working out or why they don’t have a job. Unemployment is governments problem just bring it up with them. And I’ve seen very poor whites (not a pretty sight) they just have the South African syndrome “LAZINESS” like every other Black, Indian or Coloured South African.

Let’s get back to that point I made earlier about how our leaders reflect who we are as citizens and as a country. South African leaders are very greedy, just as South African people are greedy. When something good happens to you, you only keep it within the family.  Tenders are meant to alleviate poverty and unemployment. It’s meant to create small businesses that will enforce competition within the economy and have a great effect on economic growth; we need that as a country. Can’t we just get along?

 Moving on! It will be shocking if ANC does not win these elections, we all know they are going to win right? Right! We appreciate where ANC has put us and has taken us out of. Now we need that same party to take us out of all these other problems, poverty, crime and unemployment. But also as a nation we must help our leaders achieve this (without the mention of tax of course), just kindness.  We must help each other. Just because you have bigger walls now it does not mean you ignorant to what is happening in your country. Spare a few coins for someone, your part isn’t knowing what they going to do with them. Stop holding on to clothes you know your cousins will not wear, just give to those who will need it, your part isn’t knowing whether they will like the clothes or not. Doggy bags? Takeaways? Give it to someone else if you know you won’t eat it. And when you get a tender, don’t hire family they will just cause your business to sink, I definitely won’t hire mine.

These coming elections, I do not think whomever you vote for will be wrong, just go vote, vote for South Africa. And as our president said ‘nothing can be achieved over night’