Dear ANC: Our people are not fools

IAM wondering whether, as the ANC, we have learnt anything in the past years and, in particular, from last year as we celebrate the movement’s 105th birthday and the birthday of Oliver Reginald Tambo.

Tambo kept the ANC united while in exile. He brought together different factions and forged unity.

He was a good motivator and listener. Learning from him, members of the ANC at all levels must be true to our movement by being good listeners when our people talk.

Unity in the ANC can only be achieved if we are all honest about its values, constitution and traditions, as well as with the people of our country.

We must stop sloganising unity on public platforms. We must be seen preaching it holistically and practising it in our daily lives.

Honest and robust debates must be encouraged. We must ask ourselves hard questions. Such as: what have we learned about the decline in votes?

#OccupyLuthulihouse, Thuli Madonsela’s findings, #Feesmustfall, NEC watershed meetings, Constitutional Court judgments, state capture, the burning of schools, President Jacob Zuma’s apologies and decisions, the Nkandla saga, Marikana tragedy, SABC censorship, service-delivery protests, the emergence of the EFF and DA’s popularity and — most of all — scandals, one after the other, involving senior party and government officials.

We should reflect on all the above and come up with practical solutions.

We should remember our people are not fools and cannot be taken for granted. They entrusted us with their votes in the past because they had confidence in us to deliver them from the chains of poverty.

We owe it to them to change their lives for the better, and not the other way around.

In 2017 we should be going back to basics to put our country and the nation first.

We should improve the lives of people in Slovoville in Soweto and others who still live in abject poverty and yet have been loyal to the ANC for years. We owe it to them for our failure to listen to their cries about corruption and nepotism when projects only benefit people with links to those in power. — Moses Zola Manake, Roodekrans

’Bantu’ schooling was better

EVERY year we are exposed to the same visuals on SABC of matric pupils telling us about passing.

What is passing, really, if there has been an upward adjustment in almost every subject?

Basic education in this country is a disaster and I concur with Dr Mamphela Ramphele when she said “Bantu education” was far better.

Thirty-three percent was not a pass mark back then. In the “old Transkei”, no pupil would see the next class without passing their own language and English — even if they got a distinction in all other subjects.

The late KD Matanzima loved education so much that he went out of his way to recruit teachers within Africa and India.

By the time he retired in 1987, he had achieved an almost 70% literacy rate in the Transkei.

We are not in any position to compete with other countries while our education system is in shambles. — Buang Lairi, Bloemfontein

Life’s no party under Zuma

WHAT I have observed since the appointment of Jacob Zuma as president is that increasing numbers of people are unable to get jobs, resulting in increasing societal challenges.

Increased corruption, in particular in local municipalities, as well as increased crime levels, are also evident.

These things are happening daily in our country, despite us having the best constitution in the world.

Now is the time for South Africans to stand up and defend the country.

We will be doing that for the benefit or future generations. —Wezile Mgidlana, Butterworth

Why smart people go rogue

I READ Lindi Zantsi’s letter “SA jobs are for citizens”, (January 8) with dismay.

Given that not all foreigners are criminals, it goes without saying that some South Africans citizens are criminals, too — even some in government institutions.

Some foreign intellects are forced into crime because bureaucratic red tape at the Department of Home Affairs is deliberately designed to bar most deserving foreigners.

This borders on xenophobia, not to mention the corrupt officials who unashamedly demand bribes for a mere permit renewal.

But God watches over his people and something’s gotta give. — Michael K Nyirenda, Durban

Arrogance? What, us?!

ANC spokesman Moloto Mothapo used the columns of the Sunday Times to launch an attack on the DA in “DA budget boycott indictment of white monopoly capital” (January 8). He takes the opposition to task for “walking out of parliament when funds to alleviate the plight of the poor are allocated” — but fails to condemn the ANC MPs who on two occasions did not have enough members in parliament to adopt the Division of Revenue Bill.

Mothapo expects the DA to facilitate the adoption of a bill — with which the opposition has fundamental differences — while the ANC members who presumably are committed to the bill are missing.

For all we know these ANC members could be sitting in the shebeen in Saxonwold, awaiting further instructions from the Zuptas.

Yet, speaking on Saturday, ANC national chairwoman Baleka Mbete said: “Some of us are still wondering where this arrogance people talk of comes from.

“We are an organisation that accepts our wrongs, we acknowledge that we do make mistakes.”

Mbete need look no further than Mothapo’s diatribe to see why the ANC is regarded as arrogant.

And yes, Mr Mothapo, contrary to your view, the DA does have a remarkable record of holding the executive to account. Look no further in the past couple of years alone than high-profile cases such as Nkandla, the passenger rail agency Prasa, SAA and the SABC, all matters the ANC either ignored or tried to sweep under the carpet. — Clive Hatch, Witbank

Barney: a hero we all need

MAY I take this opportunity to thank Barney Mthombothi for his outstanding column. I thoroughly enjoy reading his well-informed and well-written articles. His views reflect the principles, morals and values our country so desperately needs. — Bryan Haller, East London