Japan...local government elections in SA

A few weeks ago, I decided to finally pick up my Bible and read the New Testament. If you are going to do it let me save you some time, Matthew, Mark and Luke….exactly the same story, written differently…save yourself, start from Luke, wish someone had told me ☺ anyway so I was reading yesterday and I came across these few verses that stood out for me in light of where the world is at the moment…
”He replied: “Watch out that you are not deceived. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and, ‘The time is near.’ Do not follow them. When you hear of wars and uprisings, do not be frightened. These things must happen first, but the end will not come right away.”

Then he said to them: “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven….” LUKE 21:8-11

I’m not saying anything, it made for interesting reading just thought I’d share that with you all. You know I sit and watch what’s going on in Japan (and Christchurch) and I can’t help but smile and applaud the fact that the human spirit is far from dead. Many of us can learn from the manner in which the Japanese are carrying on with things. People from different parts of the respective countries helping each other, no looting, guys seem to be just trying to move forward, fair enough I am not there and all I see is what is being reported, but I am not seeing images of people running into shops stepping over dead or dying people and saying yo new Nokia, Sony Vaio thank you very much…what would happen if God forbid, such a catastrophe was to hit our shores/this continent? Are we even prepared for any such disaster? Worse still how will our people react?

But lets forget about that and come back to the present. Last weekend we had our last voter registration drive for our local government elections. Now I consider myself pretty ok in terms of education, but I have but a feint idea of how this local government election process works, in terms of these so called wards, how ward councilor are selected and how it all ties into the greater local government spiel! What concerns me even more is when I am listening to 702 (a talk radio station here in SA) and I hear people calling in and saying their sisters domestic worker is running to be ward councilor, no disrespect but I am sure to be a ward councilor you have to have some sort of basic education level and ability to deliver, now I am not saying she doesn’t or cant, but the odds are stacked up against her not so?

So now that all steam rolls into service delivery shortcomings that we are experiencing in so many overlooked areas. We have potholes in roads that year are after year get patched up instead of the roads being redone in its entirety? Because next year, come the rains the same pothole will appear, you will fix it after 1 month, next rains it will reappear and the cycle continues. We have situations where mayors are telling us that there is no problem when 65000 or so people have complained about overbilling. Even if its 5 it’s a problem. We have a situation where roads have been built, the method of recouping costs have been discussed prior to the projects commencing. Now all of a sudden it’s a problem, duh any smart person would have known that it would have been a problem earlier. Watch after the elections if even boom back to 66c/km its all electioneering.

You know the truth though is that I for one am living the life I am living because of the ANC. Yes, I went to school, studied kinda hard, worked kinda hard ;) etc. But say 1994 hadn’t happened, firstly would I have been afforded a bursary by PriceWaterhouseCoopers in my final years at university, which guaranteed me a job? Not too likely there have been a National Empowerment Fund, not too likely. Would Standard Bank have been interested in hiring me? Would it have been as attractive for my ex partner at Habari to partner up with me in our little Joburg operation? Not a sausage. Would I have been able to own property, hang where I choose and with whom I choose etc… and the list goes on…

I am grateful, because a lot of people have an opportunity because the ANC said no more and the world listened and helped. But does my gratitude mean that I should sit down and watch the ideals for which (in my mind) they stood for become eroded. There are glaring signs of this. Convicted fraudsters out on bail behaving as he pleases and being allowed to, buildings being allegedly fraudulently purchased but no person of power has come out and said NO, this is nonsense, instead the investigators are being harassed and targeted. There is so much more, deals happen all the time so I wont even bring that in. I just haven’t seen anything this new administration has brought in themselves, a lot of what’s been currently done is a continuation of the Mbeki era.

I comment as a layman who wants to see a better SA for all and not another failed African state. But for this to happen accountability is paramount. I am not privy to the inner workings of the ruling party, which in itself to me points to a lack of leadership, because as a leader you would want your supporters know what you are doing, how and when which would instill continued confidence in the electorate.

So come to a lot of peoples dillema. Who to vote for? There is no viable opposition for many people because many people see the DA as a white party, sad but true, and there will have to be a lot done to change these perceptions. Personally I like Madam Zille, she is a gazillion times better than Tony Leon. She has walked the struggle walk, she talks the talk of the people, all people. But the reality is from where this country has come it will be hard for them to do better than the western and maybe northern cape. COPE what a sorry sorry state. A party that was to give many hope, ends up being a hopeless quarrel between 2 power hungry buffoons (with respect). The confidence in the party and its ability to govern a country…province is nowhere, because it cant even govern itself. Where are respectable politicians like Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka? Is there no one that can steer this COPE ship, because what this country needs is an opposition of some credibility and no disrespect to the DA because I think they do a fine job of that, but what you need is a party capable of taking votes away from the ruling party if they aren’t on their toes. In that case we will hopefully see an about turn in service delivery and accountability…

I really love this place. Even though some may call me a makwerekwere, its been home forever and its given much to me, hopefully I have given much back but I think its time for us all to be accountable too, we have some sort of a voice or ability and time. It doesn’t take much for us to try and make a difference. www.cheesekids.org.za teach someone, help build something somehere, whenever you can or whatever you can for however long. I don’t know old clothes to someone. It seems like nothing now but it all counts when you are counting how do you get to 100? You start off at 1 not so (tsk tsk just thought of that one now haaaaa) anyway when election time comes, get off your bum, stand in the queue and make your mark you think it doesn’t matter if you do or you don’t but trust me it does!

Anyway have yourselves a marvelous Thursday and if you are in South Africa have a great long weekend, Human Rights day in these parts. 21 March 1960, a couple of 100 people injured, about 69 killed when police opened fire on people demonstrating about the pass laws, we’ve come a long way, lets not go back!

Birthdays
15 Jules
16 Zaheer
18th Nasrin

Take care,

Y