Zuma has captured democracy

DURING the build-up to the 1994 elections, most South Africans were euphoric at the prospect of being freed from apartheid’s shackles and the promise of prosperity and peace. This dream was to be made possible by the party of Walter Sisulu, Nelson Mandela, Ahmed Kathrada and many other great stalwarts: the much revered ANC.

The country did well under the statesmanly leadership of the late Mandela. Every dignitary in the world wanted to be associated with South Africa for our excellent constitution and respect for human rights.

This respect fast dwindled after the government became involved in the corrupt, costly arms deal. During Thabo Mbeki’s rule, our country suffered after he refused to allow HIV patients to receive antiretroviral drugs against the scientific-thinking of the time.

During his rule, we had to put up with the corrupt Jackie Selebi and the doddering Manto Tshabalala Msimang as health minister.

Little did we realise that when Mbeki was recalled, our country was being handed over to the worst president ever.

In the past eight years, under President Jacob Zuma, the country has gone downhill rapidly. All our state enterprises have been embroiled in corrupt deals, which amounts to theft of the state coffers. All of these enterprises chalked up huge debts because of gross mismanagement and nepotism. Eskom is in debt to the tune of R340 billion, SAA has been running at a loss with a debt of about R20bn.

Prasa was implicated in a corrupt deal worth R1bn. We had three police commissioners in eight years, all of whom had serious criminal charges against them.

The NPA has tried and failed to prosecute the former minister of finance, Pravin Gordhan, on fabricated charges but failed to initiate charges against the president after the leaked emails clearly implicated him and members of his party with the Guptas in capturing the state.

The president has outmanoeuvred the most upright members of his party by surrounding himself with lackeys who dance to his tune to keep their well-paying, short-lived jobs.

The party of our dreams has become our nightmare.

In a very short time they have transformed the respected ANC into the dictatorial self-serving Zupta party, which has reached the point of no return.

The party has become like an old building, where the rot has crept right into the framework because of wanton neglect. It is beyond repair; it has to be replaced.

Calls for Zuma’s resignation from the nation, the ethics committee, the late Ahmed Kathrada and religious leaders have gone unheeded. Zuma has managed to operate as a dictator in a democracy and it seems there is nothing his party, the nation or the judiciary can do to remove him.

The big lesson here is that majority party rule, as in the rest of Africa, is detrimental to the country and the nation if it is soaked in corruption. Zimbabwe, once the bread basket of southern Africa, has become a basket case in less than 30 years under the dictator, Robert Mugabe.

It is an outright abuse by a majority party to allow people facing criminal charges to serve as public servants, when their guilt or innocence should be tested in court.

When the ANC refers to itself as a non-racial party, this is nothing more than empty rhetoric. The new breed of leaders gives minorities little hope for their future.

It is common to hear the minorities complain that they are denied jobs in state institutions and bypassed for promotion.

The only way to put an end to nepotism and cronyism and protect the interests of minorities is to prevent majority party dominance because, as Blade Nzimande correctly summed it up at the SACP’s conference, “the ANC has no appetite to fix itself ”.

It is time for radical change in government.