Mahikeng residents tired of ANC rule
ALMOST two week ago, some of the residents in my hometown, Mahikeng, went on a rampage. They burnt, looted, barricaded and destroyed properties and infrastructure.
We were made to believe these violent protests were about lack of service delivery. But it later emerged that some protesters were also demanding that Premier Supra Mahumapelo fall. It was widely reported in the media that Mahumapelo deserves to fall because of allegations of his involvement with the Gupta family and corrupt activities.
As I have stated a number of times, I would like to see Mahikeng developing into a much better town than it is now, and regain its status of being known as a place of goodwill. It is almost two weeks after the protests, but the town remains filthy, with no sign of service delivery.
In the final analysis, the ANC is still in charge and control of the Mahikeng Local Council, Ngaka Modiri Molema District Municipality and provincial government.
I hold no brief for the ANC, but destruction of public and/or private properties, infrastructure, barricaded roads and looting, on the basis that the ANC government was elected and endorsed by the majority of Mahikeng residents at local, provincial and national level, makes no sense to me. We all know that not all residents in Mahikeng voted for the ANC in the 2014 national elections and 2016 local government elections.
It does not make sense why the rights of those who did not vote for the ANC should be involved in what clearly appears to be ANC factional battles.
For those of us who have spent considerable time assessing ANC failures at local, provincial and national level for the past 24 years, replacing Mahumapelo with another ANC premier or replacing the mayor with another ANC mayor is not in the best interests of residents – it is a vicious circle that will benefit the new faction in power and their associates.
Residents of Mahikeng and North West don’t need a “bring us an Mcebisi Jonas” option, as promoted by EFF leader Julius Malema in the Nelson Mandela Bay metro – they need to be overthrown from power. People have heard enough, they have seen enough, and what is left is to legally and constitutionally overthrow the ANC from power.
The “Mcebisi Jonas” option is meant to perpetuate the ANC’s grip on power for the next 24 years and discourage our people from doing the right thing. It is neither sustainable nor progressive.
What is required is for the residents to mobilise communities in and around Mahikeng for the toppling of the ANC through the ballot.
In the meantime, we would encourage residents of Mahikeng and North West who are disgruntled with the ANC to resign en masse from the ANC and join other political parties in the province that will prioritise the needs of the people rather than the needs of the political party leader and his or her associates.
This is one of the most realistic ways to demonstrate our dissatisfaction with the ANC’s failure to deliver quality and decent service to our people.
It does not make any sense at all to destroy, burn and damage the same properties and infrastructure that are going to be repaired and/or replaced with the same taxpayers’ money. It is also important to ensure that at all times, thugs and criminals within our communities are not given space to hijack genuine service delivery protests, irrespective of which political party is in power.
Sechaba Mogotsi is a member of Azapo’s Committee on Publicity and Information in Tshwane, Gauteng