We cannot abdicate our responsibility

Sibusiso Nkosi, DA Constituency Chairperson & Caucus Chief Whip, writes:-
THE first weekend of registration has come and gone with few people utilising the opportunity to prepare themselves for voting in next year election. We also witnessed a great improvement in the IEC officials’ conduct. This augers well for the preparation and the restoration of the organisational reputation, following the Ward 22 saga, except for the minor incident that happened in Ward 13’s Bhanya school. The DA expresses its gratitude to all proactive citizens, who despite their commitments and busy schedules, went all out for registration or verification. Next year will be the most exciting and crucial election, not only for the new mushrooming parties but also because the country will be celebrating 20 years of our hard won democracy, and reflecting upon our success and challenges. The country is confronted with many challenges including corruption, crime, nepotism, poverty, hunger and unemployment… the list is endless. The question remains, what do we do as the nation and as active citizens to address these challenges? Is there any will from the current government to aggressively deal with these painful challenges? If yes, then we must expect a substantial decline in numbers and percentages. If no, what do we do to push the boundaries? Helen used to say, “We can toi-toi as much as we like, but the power to change things is with us.” In a real democracy, people use their vote to hire and fire. Our vote is power; boycotting our responsibility by not voting is no solution, and we have to utilise the power we possess to replace a government that does not demonstrate the will of serving us. We can only do that by using our power to vote. [Letter edited. Editor.]