In South Africa, politics has become a way to a quick buck.
That’s why many people enter politics. And that’s also why some start their own political parties. Unfortunately, they are there to serve their own selfish interests, not that of the masses.
But I digress. In developed countries, there are only two or three political parties. In the US, it’s the Republicans (the current governing party under the leadership of Donald Trump) and Democrats (the official opposition). So, the American voters only have to choose between the two parties. The system is working very well for that country.
On the other hand, in South Africa, there are many political parties but only three dominate: i.e. the ANC (governing party), DA (official opposition party) and EFF (the third most [supported] political party). This is called a multi-party democracy. Other parties add no value to the political discourse. And most of them have one or two representatives in parliament.
The pertinent question is: do we need more political parties? The answer is an emphatic “No”. We have more than enough political parties and they are making no difference whatsoever. This is because they lack resources, financial and otherwise. Without finance, it’s difficult to attract voters.
That said, recently, the former Johannesburg mayor and businessman, Herman Mashaba, launched his new political party virtually.
This is a breakaway from the DA. Hence it is labelled as the DA lite because most of its executive members are from the official opposition party.
Mashaba’s party will contest municipal elections next year. And it has elected to contest elections in Gauteng only. (Wise move? Only time will tell.) The areas they will contest are Johannesburg, Tshwane and Ekurhuleni. The party is likely to get a seat or two in Joburg.
What value will Mashaba’s party add to our political discourse? None whatsoever. The party will just add numbers, just like other small political organisations. And it will probably die in a few years to come. Pity.
