Free pass to an easy life
SA has seen the rise of new political parties that pursue the benefits of being in office
SOUTH Africa is seeing a mushrooming of political entrepreneurs who form parties mostly as a way to create jobs for themselves, creating a business opportunity or as protection from possible prosecution for alleged corruption.
A record number of 500 political parties expressed their intention to contest the May 2019 elections.
Very few of these political entrepreneurs, who have set up new parties, have any serious policies, ideas or management capacity to tackle South Africa’s complex crises in a terrifyingly volatile and uncaring world where some of the old policies, traditions and assumptions cannot provide answers anymore.
Many them are one-person and his or her cellphone, or their weekend braai or shebeen drinking friends. Most spout populist slogans as a substitute for genuine, practical and visionary policies.
South Africa, with its large numbers of poorly educated, who do not read widely or engage outside their narrow peer, village or township network; and with desperate people searching for messiahs, sangomas or the lotto to magically lift them out of misery, is a rich market for political entrepreneurs.
Political entrepreneurs thrive on environments where it is easy to blame an “enemy”, whether “white monopoly capital”, “racists” and “foreigners” for all of one’s problems, whether personal misfortune, government corruption or ineffective public services.
Political entrepreneurs are good at offering simplistic solutions to complex problems.
Just expropriate land without compensation, or nationalise the Reserve Bank or ban all foreign workers for 10 years, and every impoverished, disadvantaged South African will become instantly rich.
Political entrepreneurs are good at spinning part of the truth, then link the part-truth to a common prejudice and then exaggerate. It is very difficult to counter a part-truth, especially if they are based on popular perceptions.
A part-truth, carefully layered on top of another half-truth to build a case that either links to common prejudice or expectation can easily persuade the dispossessed, hopeless and desperate seeking any way out. It may also be very comforting to the victim of the political scam.
Nevertheless, many prominent Zuma supporters whose careers will be under threat under a Cyril Ramaphosa presidency have formed new parties.
Mzwanele Manyi, the former head of the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) joined the newly formed African Transformation Movement (ATM).
Former SABC chief operating officer Hlaudi Motsoeneng formed the African Content Movement.
Many reckon if they can secure enough votes from the desperate, naïve and unthinking they would be elected to national Parliament or provincial legislatures and would have a generous taxpayer funded salary with all the perks – free flying, subsidised housing and cars.
Members of Parliament, legislatures and municipalities get lavish taxpayer funded compensation, out of kilter with their skills set, usefulness to society or experience. In contrast nurses, medical doctors, teachers or academics, who study long, work long hours and either save lives or build human capital, which is more crucial to a country or a people’s industrialisation, development or empowerment than any other factor, earn a pittance.
Others form political parties to escape possible future prosecutions for alleged corruption.
The idea is that if one garners enough votes and gets into Parliament, authorities would find it difficult to prosecute one, or one could then also
TheQuote
The idea is that if one garners enough votes and gets into Parliament, authorities would find it difficult to prosecute one
say it is politically motivated prosecution, and mobilise one’s supporters in public protests.
Former ANC Youth League president Julius Malema and allies formed the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) when they fell out with Zuma, and it became clear to them their careers in the ANC and tender opportunities in government and the private sector would be over, and they may face prosecution for alleged corruption.
It was not that easy under the Zuma presidency to push for the prosecution of Malema for alleged past indiscretions without some EFF supporters and neutrals believing rightly or wrongly the prosecution was politically motivated.