Go for it, Mmusi, ignore the doomsayers, launch a new party and broaden our voting options

It’s ironic that people are more interested in what Mmusi Maimane has to say now, while he kicks his heels in the political wilderness, than they were when he was leader of the official opposition. What’s Mmusi up to, seems to be the refrain. I guess we should put our heads together to help him make up his mind. It’s in the national interest. We are, as is our wont, always casting about for a messiah, but we’re often left clutching at straws.

Herman Mashaba signed off as Johannesburg mayor this week. He was hardly out of the door and the looters were already elbowing each other to come in for a second helping. It was of course Mashaba’s resignation from the DA, among other things, that precipitated Maimane’s downfall.

Some eyebrows were raised and his judgment was questioned when Maimane attended the media event at which Mashaba announced his decision. And the outgoing mayor didn’t pull any punches in his criticism of the DA. Whereafter Maimane raised his hand in the manner of a victorious boxer and proclaimed him his hero. It must have been at that point that Maimane’s goose was cooked. How on earth do you express admiration for someone who’s just publicly lambasted your party, and still hope to continue as leader?

He vacated his position the next day. In fact, he resigned in bits and pieces. He was still hoping to stay as parliamentary leader, but later that day he quit the party. The whole thing seemed to lack any forethought. Maybe he’s just not a schemer, our Mmusi. He’s a man of the cloth, after all.

But maybe that mutual admiration society at Mashaba’s media conference was no mistake. They were telegraphing a message. Maybe. This week Mashaba, in his parting shot, threw out a nugget — he was going on holiday, he said, but he wasn’t done serving his people. Could his plans have anything to do with Maimane’s intention of forming a political party?

There are already voices warning against this idea. Look at what happened to COPE, Agang, the UDM and so on, they say. I guess the death or stillbirth of infants should be deployed as an argument against procreation. The better option apparently is for the likes of Maimane to join forces with President Cyril Ramaphosa in the noble struggle to avert national disaster.

People who think this are whistling in the wind. Ramaphosa has been a great disappointment, no two ways about it. In fact, this argument echoes the appeals we heard before the elections for people to hold their noses and vote for the ANC to strengthen Ramaphosa’s hand. The ANC was duly returned to power with the usual thumping majority, and the hyenas are laughing at our naiveté. Mosebenzi Zwane, Faith Muthambi, Bathabile Dlamini, the entire rotten gang, are back in harness under the tutelage of the venal Ace Magashule. It is business as usual. And Ramaphosa remains his wimpish self.

If you want to peek into the president’s character, look no further than this week’s events. After agreeing to a live radio dialogue with Power FM some time ago, Ramaphosa decided to pull out only hours before the broadcast on the pretext that the host, Given Mkhari, was allegedly entangled in a gender abuse case. No question, gender abuse is a stain on our society and it should be tackled head-on. But it’s not as if Ramaphosa was unaware of these issues before agreeing to participate in the discussion. Finding himself in a pickle, he then uses a complaint by two obscure NGOs to extricate himself.

Instead of wriggling out of the discussion, Ramaphosa should have attended and made an opening statement on the matter or even made it the main topic of discussion. But that, I guess, would have required some courage, which our president unfortunately doesn’t have.

There’s no doubt things would have been far worse had Ramaphosa’s rival prevailed in December 2017. But that’s damning him with faint praise. The fact is the ANC remains the criminal syndicate that found succour and prospered under Jacob Zuma. It is the party of the likes of Magashule, Bongani Bongo and so on, and Ramaphosa doesn’t seem to have even disturbed the furniture. Anybody getting into bed with the cabal cannot escape the stench.

We need to accept that the ANC will never get us out of this mess. It is the author of our predicament, not its solution. Corruption has become part of its makeup. It courses through its veins. To expect the party to fight corruption is akin to demanding that an incorrigible alcoholic give up booze.

But none of the other parties seems capable of coming to our rescue. The DA’s inability to attract black voters will remain its Achilles heel, making its attainment of power almost a bridge too far. The EFF’s stock-in-trade is sowing racial hatred, and its leaders would be wearing overalls of a different colour had the criminal justice system been half-awake. The other parties are nothing more than spaza shops serving no purpose except as sources of regular income for their leaders and their cronies.

So, despite the plethora of parties, many people are still without a political home. Ideology doesn’t seem to be an issue either. The country is simply crying out for decisive leadership, to get things done. There’s therefore space for either another political party or for some political realignment. The more the merrier.