Madam – Millions of South Africans voted this week, and many for the first time.
With all the negativity, deaths and seemingly empty promises that have surrounded the local government elections, it’s easy to see why so many South Africans have become disillusioned by the entire process.
Since when did we start thinking it was acceptable to murder people who we didn’t like to serve our wards? The behaviour and thought behind this astound me. A family loses its breadwinner, mother, father, wife, husband, daughter or son because people can’t communicate properly?
It’s shocking and extremely sad, to say the least.
The arrogance of these criminal acts is hard to understand. Yes, we as South Africans have had to deal with a lot in recent years, from corruption and scandal at the top of the Government food chain, right down to the ineptitude of certain ward councillors.
But does this mean candidates should be murdered in cold blood? This attitude is frightening, yet a sad reality for those in the political sphere.
We as a family debated long and hard over voting this year. We asked ourselves if our one single voice could make a difference, in the light of corruption raising its ugly head. Just before the elections, there was a story going viral on social media about how a vehicle was stopped, and close to 80 000 ballot papers, already pre-marked, were found.
I don’t know about the validity of the story, or if there was any truth in it, but it’s actually something we’ve considered – that fraud is so easy to commit because there is no accountability and only excuses.
We thought about the state of the country today; about how whole communities are promised the world, and only given contempt afterwards. How promises to end corruption are being made, by some of the biggest liars this country has ever seen.
We thought about the hundreds of thousands of young people, who have no employment and have to resort to menial labour to earn minimum wage to provide for their families. In our own little town, look at the homeless men and women who live under bridges and set up tents in parks just to survive. Where is our government then? Where is their promise of a brighter future, where every citizen can have a roof over their head?
We thought about provinces like Limpopo, where the education system is so dire, children have no access to textbooks or classrooms, and often have to try to get educated under trees, because they believe their lives will improve, despite their circumstances.
We also thought about how the world sees South Africa. About how, despite attempts to hide the truth in the media, people with access to social media are fighting back and exposing the injustices taking place on a daily basis.
Our decision to place our ‘X’ was an informed one. It might be only a drop in the ocean, but if everyone made an informed choice, it could bring real change to a country struggling to sustain its people.
I hope everyone out there voted this week. Despite your disillusionment, I hope you remembered the potential of South Africa and her people. I hope you made your mark.
Enlightened
