Parties will have to pull up socks in election year

The new year has dawned and in the next few months SA will be heading to the polls. Five years ago, more than 18 million out of a total of 25 million registered voters made their ‘X’ next to the party of their choice. Nationally, the ANC clinched 62% of the vote while in the Eastern Cape it won just over 70%. ANC provincial chairman Oscar Mabuyane, in a recent interview with the Daily Dispatch reflecting on the past year, was confident the party would secure an even greater victory in this year’s polls.

As a politician, it is expected of Mabuyane to be self-assured about his organisation’s chance at success.

But from an outside perspective, a lot of work lies ahead. Not just for the ruling party but also for the DA, which punts itself as an alternative. Despite 2018 being declared “the year of renewal, unity and jobs”, the ANC has had its share of internal conflict.

Mabuyane admits the party is still dealing with fallout from its 2017 provincial elective conference, now infamously referred to as the “festival of chairs”, when delegates attacked one another.

The party still remains fractured more than a year ago, which does little to instil confidence.

The DA is not without its challenges either. Last year the party lost control of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro when Athol Trollip was unseated as mayor.

Turmoil in the ranks of the coalition also saw some DA members switch allegiance. Governing in the Eastern Cape is no easy feat. Our problems are numerous. The province has one of the highest unemployment rates at 45.8%. In order to deal with the school infrastructure challenges, we need R70bn.

A number of councils are in disarray and unable to provide the most basic of services to their residents, such as clean running water.

The health department’s medico-legal claims run into billions, far exceeding its operational budget.

The province’s matric results will undoubtedly come under the spotlight this week. And so the list goes on.

The people do not care for political grandstanding. They want pragmatic solutions to the problems they face, and to live in a province where their needs are met.

A number of councils are unable to provide basic services, such as clean running water