• Thabile Mange writes:

After 1994, South Africa was a beacon of hope on the African continent. Every country in the world wanted to do business with us. Our beautiful country also attracted tourists from all over the world. The future looked bright.

A few years later, South Africa has become a shadow of its former self. Corruption is the order of day. Not only that, nothing is working in this country. And it seems citizens have accepted that as their fate.

Eskom is failing to keep the lights on, crippling the economy and contributing to the high unemployment rate. According to pundits, load-shedding will be with us for years to come. And if Eskom does not work, South Africa does not work.

Citizens have also lost faith in the police, who fail to protect them. Apparently when you call police for crime, they ask if criminals are carrying small or big guns. If they have big guns, they don’t go out and attend crime. Scary!

Last week, I heard Minister Thandi Modise saying, “If you don’t trust the police, go to the ones you trust”. Very arrogant! Instead of accepting that the police are failing to do their job, Modise shows the citizens a middle finger.

In July 2022, there was violence in KZN and Gauteng, which claimed more than 300 lives. The security cluster promised to apprehend people who were behind the violence. They are yet to find the culprits. Yet Modise expects the nation to trust the police.

Not only that, trains have also stopped running in many towns. Why? Because the railroad has been uprooted by criminal elements. People have also built shacks near the railway stations. As a results, commuters don’t have an alternative transport except taxis.

In addition, many people are unemployed, with the youth and women mostly affected. When less people are employed, the country collects less tax. Consequently, the government is unable to deliver the services to the people.

In conclusion, I hope South African voters have learned a lesson that voting one party into power for more than ten years is not advisable. The country is in a mess because of that. Come 2024, vote wisely.