Get them out of the shadows

ON MAY 8, South Africa will hold its fifth democratic elections. The elections include national and provincial polls. However, the national election campaigns overshadow the provincial ones. The ANC controls all the provinces except the Western Cape.

Interestingly, and according to some political pundits, Gauteng, which is under ANC rule, is up for grabs. Will the governing party lose Gauteng? Only time will tell.

In the past local government elections, the ANC lost Johannesburg and Tshwane to the DA-led coalition. The governing party almost lost Ekurhuleni as well. However, a small party known as the African Independent Congress came to its rescue. It also lost Mogale City to the DA-led coalition but regained it later.

The above is what casts doubt on whether the governing party will retain Gauteng.

Interestingly, there is a school of thought that the “Ramaphobia” will work in favour of the party in the province.

The leading premier candidates for Gauteng are David Makhura for the ANC and Solly Msimango for the official opposition, the DA. However, both are nowhere to be seen. Yet they want our votes. But it’s not of their doing; it’s the nature of our campaign system.

The media as well is not helping. It tends to focus on national figures rather than provincial.

Every day, we see images of President Cyril Ramaphosa and that of DA leader Mmusi Maimane on television and newspapers.

Prominence should also be given to provincial candidates during elections. They need to sell themselves to us and tell us their plans for their respective provinces. It is unfair that national candidates do the campaigning for provincial candidates.