Stomach politics key to getting ‘rent a crowd’

Why are the BLF and Cosas supporting Hlaudi Motsoeneng’s case, asks Thabile Mange.

Last Thursday, the former SABC COO Hlaudi Motsoeneng appeared before the CCMA challenging his expulsion from the broadcasting corporation. Members of the BLF and Cosas were there in numbers to support Motsoeneng.

I have no doubt in my mind that the BLF and Cosas members who were there to support him were “rent a crowd”.

They were fed with sandwiches (starter), pap and meat and drinks. Are they that cheap to be bought by food?

The pertinent questions are: what has Motsoeneng done to deserve such support? Also, why do we support bad guys such as the former SABC COO?

Are we suffering from leadership deficit or lack of role models? There are no easy answers.

The man lacked the competency to be a COO, which is a strategic position, of a public broadcaster. The decisions he made at the broadcaster were of poor quality. Yet some treat him like a hero.

Today, the SABC is in financial trouble because of Motsoeneng’s mismanagement. The popular daily soapie Uzalo might axe some of its cast members or be canned because of the public broadcaster’s financial situation. Doesn’t that trouble BLF and Cosas?

It is clear that money politics (or stomach politics) has taken over. Principle and substance have taken a back seat. People use money to garner support and rent crowds.

How do we expect to progress as a nation?