Spring cleaning in winter
It’s election season and spring cleaning in winter has begun in earnest. Like the World Cup in 2010 when the country went into overdrive getting ready for soccer’s showpiece, a hive of activity has gripped the nation.
Politicians are up to their old tricks again, buzzing around the country, trying to win over the voters. They walk the cleaned-up streets in the townships, smile and shake hands with the gullible masses, spread goodwill and cheer among the electorate and hand out goodies and promises to the poor. Faced with the looming threat of Zuma’s MKP, the ANC is asking its leadership to batten down the hatches and go out to win over the electorate, many of whom have drifted away from the ANC. How could the mighty ANC, which has been in the forefront of the liberation struggle, allow its leadership position be usurped by Johnny-come-lately pretenders of democracy?
The ANC has mastered the art of deception and knows when to rise and shine. Verges are being cut and gangs of workers are busy filling the potholes. Eskom has miraculously stopped load shedding, at least for the time being, and Prasa has come out of its hibernation and is in a great hurry to get the trains running again. The backlog at Durban Harbour has been cleared and businesses can breathe a sigh of relief. The stocks are rolling again.
But there’s one problem that cannot be fixed overnight. It’s water and sanitation. How is the ANC going to fix that before the elections? It has to find a way to overcome the hurdle. It will use everything in its power to allay the fears of the township dwellers and quench their thirst. Gangs of workers will work late into the night fixing the water works, pump stations, reservoirs and pipes. If the electorate is happy, the votes will come pouring in.