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The August 3rd elections are around the corner and we are seeing the final push by all political parties. A few weeks ago, the ANC recalled its former leaders to the campaigned trail, minus the former President Thabo Mbeki. This is not “a thing” according to him and the ANC; but let’s leave that for another day.
South African celebrities like AKA, Minnie Dlamini, Jessica Nkosi, Creselda Khananda, DJ Sbu, Khanyi Mbau and many others, have hit the campaign trail under the slogan “Asinavalo”. These are the best in their fields and are using their pull to garner votes for the ruling party. But what we must understand is that the ANC inovalo (is fearful). They are feeling the pressure from other political parties and they feel that they must do everything possible to win these elections.
When I analyze the message from the ANC and its leaders, I am left wondering why our celebrities are associating themselves with this shell of an organization. A party that is trying so hard to be relevant that it even has its president “dabbing”. A party that resort to name calling like - “the DA are snakes and the DA are the spawn of the National Party”. This; on top of other utterances by President Zuma that he does not understand why black people vote for or join their oppressors. Does anyone see any meaningful contribution to improving people’s lives in such rhetoric? If you do, please enlighten me.
The ANC and its members can try their best to manipulate South Africans, use fear of apartheid to gain votes and call others names. All this is not new. In the past, people were “necklaced” for betraying the struggle movement. Now they cannot do that, so they feel entitled to the “black vote” so much that to them, it should be an automatic X every election and they cannot fathom anyone choosing to vote for other political parties. This is regardless of the fact that it is against the very principles of the struggle.
In the last decade alone; we have seen the highest unemployment ever in South Africa. Over 70% of youth unemployed, the scourge of corruption rising. We have seen a party that fought for the rights of all South Africans trample on those rights by trying to desecrate the Public Protector office, support Hlaudi Motsoeneng run the SABC to the ground. We have seen the ANC stand by while the SA press is being muzzled through censorship. We have seen the ANC tell us that their number one priority is not the South African people, but its organization. We have seen the barbaric killing of miners in Marikana and subsequent shifting of responsibility.
Every time you bring these facts to anyone ANC, they will tell you that the ANC is a big organization with its challenges. They will tell you that they are dealing with them.
The ANC has previously campaigned under “A better life for all” slogan, but all we see it a better life for President Zuma and all his family and allies. This brings me back to our celebrities. It is important to understand that every South African has a right to choose who or what to stand for. We cannot fault them for choosing the ANC. However; by their promotion of the ANC in these elections, we will hold them responsible for everything the ANC does. Their endorsement of the ANC means that they embody everything about the party, both positive and negative.
The way in which the ANC has promoted division, called people traitors and disregarded their rights is what these celebrities are attaching their names to. I also struggle to understand how these celebrities could just “volunteer” to endorse this party. If all of them regard themselves as brands, then surely their time is valuable. It begs the question – how much of the R1 billion used for these elections was allocated to them? And if I am an ANC member I would ask myself, how come I must volunteer but others get perks and paid for campaigning?
Many of our former celebrities stood against apartheid. This was an honorable and necessary cause. The current celebrities have endorsed what is slowly becoming another dictatorship in Africa. They are being used as pawns in manipulating South Africans. Lest we forgot; the Zanu-PF was revered the same in Zimbabwe and look at what it has become. The ANC stood by while people’s right were being violated in Zimbabwe. The ANC admired President Robert Mugabe while he intimidated and decimated every opposition to his reign. They stood by while he took everything he wanted at the expense of Zimbabweans.
If this sounds familiar to you, you guessed correctly.
All these things are taking place in this country. Our parents who were also on the ground fighting apartheid must now wait for basic services promised to them. They must say thank you for houses so small that they are wondering why they left their shacks and land in rural areas. Many youth are denied opportunities and tertiary education through the lack of delivery of free education for all. Today, the ANC says “we will rule till Jesus comes”. If this does not show you its arrogance and disregard for basic human rights, I do not know what will.
