ANC mustn’t take electorate for granted

GROWING up in eNdlebeni village in Stanger, we made a soccer ball out of the debris of bread plastics as buying a ball was for those with deeper pockets.

Sometimes the one in the family that could afford to buy a soccer ball was not that gifted in this beautiful game.

So, come game time, they would want to be featured in the starting line-up despite their lack of talent.

But what would the coach do? If you don’t put him in the starting line-up he goes home with his ball – and that would mean the end of the game. If the coach sacrifices the better player over the owner of the ball (ibhola lami), the team might lose.

Some may ask where I’m going with this preamble. I’m not really talking about football, at least for now.

We all know it’s almost voting season and all politicians are now spending sleepless nights fighting to win the pending elections.

Coinciding with this, the ANC is celebrating 107 years since its formation.

What tickled my fancy in the past few days was President Cyril Ramaphosa’s statement in Pinetown where he told people that failing to retain the ANC in power would destroy the gains of freedom in the past 24 years. This was not the first time Ramaphosa has said something like this. As deputy president, he said if people did not vote for the ruling party “the Boers would come back to rule”.

To me, this is emotional blackmail to the voters, especially

those who will be voting for the first time. The ANC of late doesn’t need anyone to destroy the gains of democracy; they have been excelling at doing so.

They believe people should or would organically vote for the party simply because it is a liberation movement. People should vote for the party they believe will change their lives. If they believe the ANC has been doing well, they should vote for it. But if other parties represent a beacon of hope they should vote for them.

A critical assessment should be done by voters so that they make the right choice, otherwise they remain voting cattle. All parties should earn votes. No party should be voted for simply because they fought Hendrik

Verwoerd’s regime. To me, that is not good enough.

Like ibhola lami, we were grateful that the owner of the ball was kind enough to let us use his ball but he had to earn his place in the starting line-up. Being the ball owner did not mean that he was a great player. The same should be emphasised in politics.

Parties need to prove themselves to the voters. In Africa, in particular, complacency has been the order of the day in many countries for liberation movements.

The ruling party should learn from its counterparts in other countries, otherwise one day they will find themselves in the opposition benches in the National Assembly if they think people will religiously vote them into power without scrutiny.

SANDILE GUMEDE | Braamfontein