Struggling political parties leave voters with little choice in next polls

The way some South Africans are so obsessed with their favourite politicians, it’s sickening.

For all the politicians under public scrutiny for one reason or another, people are looking for “victories” and start preaching that their favourite politician is the victim of smear campaigns.

Former president Jacob Zuma’s loyalists have mastered the art. They conveniently leave out the fact that we are experiencing the collapse of virtually every sphere of government. The fact that most of the current rot started under his watch escapes his followers. My worry is that we’re dealing with people who are not looking for solutions but who defend Zuma come hell or high water. People who were hoping that factionalism within the ANC would be buried at Nasrec last year were wrong. The VBS scandal has shown that the EFF was taught well when its leaders were still in the ANC. They haven’t done too shabbily in terms of deflecting attention from their leaders.

I feel sorry for the voters in next year’s elections. The big three political parties are in a bad shape. The DA is battling race relations. The treatment meted out to Patricia de Lille shows that all is not well within the DA. Party leader Mmusi Maimane is trying to project a united front but we’re not convinced. What is clear is that we’re not about to get an ethical government or one devoid of any racism any time soon.

Richardson Mzaidume, Pimville