EDITOR – Another national municipal election is behind us and hopefully the voters have given a clear message to the politicians.
Save Our Berea would like to congratulate the three winning Berea councillors from the DA. Martin Meyer retained ward 27 (Morningside), Christopher Pappas has won ward 31 (Musgrave/Sydenham) and Mmabatho Tembe won ward 33 (Glenwood/Umbilo). We would also like to offer our congratulations to the ANC for winning the eThekwini Metro.
As a vibrant civic action group, who believe in the Constitution of South Africa, we want, as is our right, to give our advice, to those that will govern in this region.
This election has shown a fairly dramatic erosion of support from the ruling ANC. We believe that the electorate has sent a very clear message to the ANC. That message is that regardless of what people think about the policies of the ANC, and regardless of whether their hearts are still with that party, there are many issues that are being seen as unacceptable. These issues include the performance and actions of the President, which has led to ongoing and rampant corruption and the state capture of our constitutional democracy by selfish business interests. There has been absolute disdain shown to the Constitution and supporters of the President, who, in some cases do not have the qualifications or the will to do their jobs competently, have been appointed to the cabinet, to the NPA, the SAPS and to state aided institutions like SAA, SABC and Eskom.
How has this impacted on our region of eThekwini? I think we can safely say that corruption is rampant in this region. Much of the decision–making is done in a very undemocratic manner and the Bill of Rights and the very foundations of the Constitution have been undermined. Where there is no corruption, then there is often ineptitude and a lack of service delivery.
Our advice is to make it compulsory for every elected councillor to have read the Constitution of South Africa, and to understand that document. After all, it is the highest law of the land. Also every councillor should understand the real meaning of being a Constitutional Democracy. In the past, the ANC, far too often, ignore the constitutional rights of the people and conduct themselves as an institutional representative democracy with a winner take all mind-set, which can never be a democracy of the people. What we need is real participatory democracy where government listens to all the people.
Cheryl Johnson
Kevin Dunkley
Save Our Berea
