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DA’s all-or-nothing attitude resulted in them ending up with nothing
How long the new mayor will be in office, remains to be seen, as the politicians who placed him there are free to change their minds again at any given moment.
Lenasia, Ward 9 Councillor Imraan Moosa (L) celebrates with Newly-elected City of Johannesburg mayor and Al Jama-ah member Thapelo Amad at the City Chambers in Braamfontein, 27 January 2023. He won by 138 votes.Picture: Nigel Sibanda
One of the easiest things in the world to change is your own mind. I do it all the time. Whether deciding what to wear, or what to order in a restaurant, my first decision is seldom my final one.
The flipside, I believe, is that one of the most difficult things in the world to change is someone else’s mind. Convincing my wife, for example, to rather have steak, instead of pizza, is impossible.
And the same goes for me. Once I’ve set my mind on pairing a limegreen shirt with paisley trousers and ordering chitterlings because it sounds exotic, nobody’s going to convince me to change.
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Of course, when I end up looking like a clown and eating pig intestines, I only have myself to blame, because I was advised otherwise. I just have to suck it up.
Changing of minds was at the forefront of mine after the changing of the guard in Johannesburg last week. Obviously, a large group of politicians changed their minds about their allegiance, resulting in a party with only three seats out of the 270 now occupying the mayor’s parlour.
How long the new mayor will be in office, remains to be seen, as the politicians who placed him there are free to change their minds again at any given moment.
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The strangest part of the whole experience, however, was the reaction of the DA. They immediately blamed the electorate for voting for small parties and wasting their vote on parties who “are only in it for themselves”. The electorate, said the DA, was responsible for the “disastrous consequences” in Joburg.
Really? I think not. Coalitions are here to stay. A country as diverse as ours cannot possibly evolve into a two-party state. What is needed are politicians willing to manage those coalitions and not blaming the electorate when coalitions falter.
In my opinion, it was the DA’s all-or-nothing attitude that resulted in them ending up with the nothing. I don’t expect to change anybody’s mind. And don’t expect to change mine. Because the clown eating tripe only has himself to blame. Ask me.
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