EDITOR – When we reflect back some 27 years ago to Sunday, 11 February 1990, the day when Mr Nelson Mandela left the Victor Verster prison a free man having served 27 years as a political prisoner, we recall this day as both auspicious and miraculous.
On 10 May 1994 Mr Mandela was elected as President of the new South Africa, and South Africans were jubilant and excited – it presented us with great expectations. The ANC was at the pinnacle of recognition and was hailed by the world as an example worthy of emulation.
Then and now – 27 years later, the moral high-ground that the ANC stood on has eroded, crumbling beneath the evidence of endemic corruption, revelations of leaked mails implicating senior office bearers leaving the ANC in a state of political paralysis. Many would argue that their sins are greater for they have not only broken laws, they have indeed broken the very laws and founding provisions of the Constitution they were entrusted to protect and enforce.
As I pen this letter, the ANC is holding its consultative policy conference which is a precursor to the elective conference to be held in December and when the viewers watched the President deliver his opening speech on 30 June, it would appear that the ANC in general and the President specifically are suffering from a severe case of viral denialism.
It appears as if they believe that some miracle cure will appear from the heavens to save this once respected, revered and morally sound organization. The fact they have taken the voter for granted has been established beyond a shadow of doubt but the sad reality is that these email leaks have virtually opened a can of worms. This particular crisis however cannot be blamed on White Monopoly Capital or as a manifestation of apartheid and cannot be just swept under the carpet.
The ANC seem to be sitting on top of active volcano, like unsuspecting men and women, waiting for it to erupt, while us ordinary South Africans are left disappointed, confused and uncertain what the future holds. The euphoria and great expectations of 27 years ago have all gone with the wind. It would take a tectonic shift to correct the current state of affairs.
Sicario
Durban
