Stem election violence
WITH just days before voters head to the polls to make their mark for their choice of representatives, election fever is reaching a climax.
Political parties are pulling out all the stops to attract undecided voters to vote for them.
Elections are about delivering on services that voters were promised. Cheap politicking combined with empty promises will ultimately result in a decline in support leading to a loss of seats in a specific municipality.
This is the scenario that the ruling party faces.The incessant disillusionment of communities plays out in the streets of South Africa through violent service delivery protests practically on a daily basis.
Hence there are wellorchestrated and clearly defined parameters in terms of editorial policy by the SABC to censor violent protest action from being flighted on SABC channels. Has Hlaudi Motseneng, with his shenanigans at the SABC, got protection from a higher authority to allow him to act in such a repulsive manner?
Is this policy a clandestine manoeuvre to withhold sensitive information from voters that can probably impact on the outcome of the local government elections?
It is said that the power of the media is a dynamic tool that can be utilised to change the mindset of voters.
This means that censorship of negative information can be construed as having a manipulative effect in terms of voters arriving at a balanced decision on where to place their crosses.
The coming local government elections are proving to be the most volatile by far. The ANC has lost 12 councillor candidates and members this year, allegedly because of infighting.
Disillusioned members not nominated to stand for elections are contesting the elections as independent candidates in their wards.
There is no doubting that politics is becoming an extremely lucrative job. When lives are so easily snuffed out with the killers still at large, the threat to our young democracy must never be underestimated.
Political analysts are expressing the viewpoint that as we get closer to August 3, the violence is going to escalate. A volatile atmosphere is not conducive to a free and fair election process. Let’s hope on voting day all impediments that hinder voting are eliminated, making it a credible election. VIJAY SURUJPAL
Phoenix