The price of division

IT WOULD appear that as long as the opposition political parties are obstinately determined to pursue their selfishly split position even on national issues, the Zuma ANC will never be knocked off its pedestal no matter how rottenly corrupt it remains.

What political purpose is served by the individual opposition political leaders’ pursuit of their selfish, egotistical agendas on national issues such as Nkandla, Marikana, the NPA and many others?

If the interests of the suffering masses – deep social and economical inequalities, rampant unemployment, rampant corruption – ranked No 1 on their priority lists as they profess to be the case, they would close ranks when it comes to national issues even if they went their separate ideological routes. But we still read about Holomisa having made a sole suggestion about the commemoration of the Marikana massacre.

Maimane has publicly attacked the EFF as the disruptors of Parliament, much to the glee of the corrupt ANC. President Zuma has no respect for our constitution to which he subscribed the oath of allegiance twice. If he had such respect, he would not have prioritised his interests when he assumed the Presidency in May 2009, and by November 2009, having allowed over R65 million to be spent on the renovation of his rural mansion – again letting it snowball into R250m in expenditure of taxpayers’ money.

Because the opposition leaders are engrossed in their own agendas, they have failed to realise that the Nkandla issue bears the hallmarks of a clear crime of corruption.

However, if they were bound by a common thread of serving the interests of the masses who placed them in Parliament, they would simply have referred the matter to court in the face of the president disputing or feeling unhappy with the Public Protector’s report on his Nkandla house.

Because of a divided force, opposition parties have let the issue degenerate into the internationally embarrassing political hot potato, with the ANC feeding off their political differences with glee, boldly telling the world it would rule till Jesus comes. Fulela Mthwana