Sowetan

ANC can’t trade on past glories

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NEW Ekurhuleni mayor Mzwandile Masina’s comments, where he was quoted blasting residents of Tshwane and Nelson Mandela Bay for voting for the DA, are unfortunat­e.

It’s the same thinking that has put the ANC in the kind of trouble that it is in. Quoting historical atrocities against black people no longer cuts it.

We all know about painful incidents involving Solomon Mahlangu and the Pebco Three but at the end of the day people judge the ANC on what is happening now rather than what happened in the past.

I thought the ANC was serious about capturing votes of the youth. Surely, Masina’s comments would mean less to young people. Even the results breakdown showed that older people haven’t deserted the ANC.

It’s the younger ones that couldn’t care less about the party’s great history. The ANC’s recent behaviour is actually to blame for people either staying away from the polls or voting for opposition. It’s the ANC itself that has betrayed Mahlangu and the Pebco Three, not SA voters.

Masina must know that the ANC is judged purely on performanc­e, just like opposition parties.

When people feel neglected and frustrated they will bring about what they think is the solution.

I am sure deep down ANC leaders know that they could have handled some problems better. Whether the ANC likes it or not, it will have to deal with the matter of Jacob Zuma.

Another controvers­ial matter is that of unqualifie­d comrades doing jobs they have no knowledge of, leaving thousands of deserving and unemployed graduates in the cold. Richardson Mzaidume Pimville

 ?? PHOTO: MOHAU MOFOKENG ?? Mzwandile Masina apparently blasted residents of Tshwane and Nelson Mandela Bay for voting for the DA
PHOTO: MOHAU MOFOKENG Mzwandile Masina apparently blasted residents of Tshwane and Nelson Mandela Bay for voting for the DA

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