By Siyanda Mhlongo
The ANC was elected on April 22 2009 on the promise that it would be pro-poor and anti-corruption. The triumvirate of Jacob Zuma, Blade Nzimande and Zwelinzima Vavi accused Cope of being elitist. It is the ANC of Nxamalala that has proved beyond reasonable doubt that is elitist, parasitic and wasteful.
It is the ANC that has wasted R48 million on cars despite the recession. Nxamalala is spending R65 million on his homestead but people in Inkandla are amongst the poorest. Zuma will live like Louis XIV, the Tsar and Batista, they all lived posh lifestyles before the revolutions overthrew them in France, Russia and Cuba. Nelson Mandela and Mbeki do not enjoy such a bourgeois lifestyle. Where is promise to close the gap between rich and poor?
Bheki Cele, Zuma’s Cele, Zuma’s trusted securocrat lives in a R3.3 million state-sponsored mansion. Minister of Police Nathi Mthethwa bought a R150 million jet for the police and his hotel bills amounted to R500 000.
Taxpayers paid Dali Mpofu R11 million and Vusi Pikoli R7 million in handshake deals, R500 million was set aside to create offices and infrastructure for Zuma’s bloated cabinet — created to accommodate ANC factions — and more than R150 million went to the inauguration of Nxamalala and premiers.
Nxamalala promised 500 000 jobs every year. This year we have lost 900 000 decent and quality jobs but no decent jobs have been created. Hospitals have run short of medicine and ARVs. Co-operative Governance Minister Sicelo Shiceka’s report has indicated that municipalities are collapsing. The Auditor-General has painted a gloomy picture of financial management at municipalities. The Eskom fiasco is a result of indecisive political leadership. ANC elite are parasiting Transnet, Ithala, the Land Bank, DBSA and other state parastatals. Minister Collins Chabane has abused the state credit card.
Instead of curbing corruption, Nxamalala deployed Travelgate MPs and many who were implicated in the arms deal and Oilgate scandals. The deployment of Menzi Simelane and the marginalisation of Judge Dikgang Moseneke were the last nails in the good corporate governance coffin.
This government, though it continues with the sound economic policies of the Madiba and Mzizi administrations, has departed from the values enshrined in the Freedom Charter and in the Ready To Govern document. That Nxamalala is spending millions on his Nkandla home indicates that Msholozi puts his interests before that of the poor. Our people face retrenchment and poverty but government leaders and corrupt bureaucrats are insensitive to their plight.
These are issues Cope has been raising since its inception. Though Cope faces many challenges to create a modern political party, it must establish itself as shield to protect the nation from greed and malpractices in government and in broader society. Cope must lead society in the renaissance of collective moral values that produced leaders like Chief AJ Luthuli, OR Tambo and Nelson Mandela. It is now impossible to fight corruption from within the ANC. Corruption and patronage has co-opted or silenced even trusted cadres. Those who disagree with the ANC of Nxamalala are whipped and now remain reticent.
Just a year old, Cope must stand tall that it stood against the erosion of morals in society. Today, the hooliganism we saw at the SACP and ANC meetings in the North West and Lusikisiki are a replica of Polokwane 2007. Also how the ANC responds to criticism by Kader Asmal, Bishop Tutu, Frene Ginwala proves that civil debate has been eroded in the tripartite alliance. This all started when hooliganism was accepted as a norm at Polokwane. Malema was booed by Nzimande’s adult brigade in the presence of Mantashe. For Cope to stand the test time, it must avoid the mistakes of the ruling party like hooliganism, factionalism, populism, nepotism and corruption. A modern party respects the electorate. Public representatives must undertake constituency work diligently. Most MPs and MPLs service people when elections are close. Cope is obliged by history to uphold governance standards as outlined in Batho Pele. Part of the solution is to have a directly elected president, premiers and mayors.
There is a need to review the implementation of affirmative action and black economic empowerment. With the deployment of Simelane, we must renew the call for the depolitisation of the state. Had the people of South Africa, former ANC cadres not formed Cope, Msholozi and his Polokwane triumphalists would have messed up. Judge John Hlophe would be our chief justice and Minister Sbu Ndebele would have arrogantly accepted his gift. Fearing Cope of making inroads, Nxamalala accommodated Mbeki-ites and abandoned the populism that characterised his election campaign.
If Cope wants to be a serious modern political party, it has to continue attracting trustworthy and transformative, visionary, organic intellectuals and leaders. With local government in the pipeline, Cope must field candidates who have credibility in their communities because this is where the ANC, DA and IFP have betrayed the trust of the electorate. While co-operating with opposition parties, it must work with individuals across the tripartite alliance. Cope must assume the character of both the UDF and civic movement but should avoid becoming an amorphous mass or individuals who do not subscribe to a united, non-racial, non-sexist and corrupt-free society as envisaged in the Freedom Charter.
Siyanda Mhlongo is Cope’s spokesperson in Kwa-ZuluNatal
Thank you for a sterling post Mr Mhlongo. Whilst I am inclined to agree substantially with your views, I however reckon it would have been better if the views are not expressed by a Cope member,valid as they are. Having said, it is public knowledge that our erstwhile ANC has died a painful death. I say mainly because what it has been aspiring for its people withered without anybody noticing. How do these Ministers tally their extravagance and the poverty of the millions of their people? Is this our ANC?. One had once thought of Cope as an alternative but its leadership struggles leaves in the dark and not interested.
Apart from the m & g no one cares what COPE has to say…
You have lost the plot.
simply brilliant
I have heard of the good ideals of what Cope wants to represent but I still cannot hear the voice of the leadership, they are so invisible. A quartely event for good publicity might work.
This message of corruption and nepotism should be distributed to the areas who do not connect to internet for them to understand this picture and all of us in the the opposition parties should do the distribution and education, Only 5.3 million are taxpayers and understand these corruptions and we cannot unseat or release the ANC from their shoddy service delivery we need the help of the pless fortunate crowd. DA for Gauteng and WC, IFP for KZN, Cope for NC and EP this will do it.
A very good post! Thank you very much Siyanda!
All the best on this, COPE’s first anniversary, and I do hope that things are progressing down in The Kingdom!
Siyaphambili!
Very well written article, however you can dream on because thus far Cope is a circus. Its ANC with another T-shirt.
Attacking the opposition does not enhance Cope.
Opposition needs a single united strong voice to challenge the hegemony of the ruling party.
Siyanda, I totally agree with your comments on the ANC. If they don’t put their money where their mouths are, it should be too late for them.
Of Cope, as with the DA, I believe that the way to get noticed, is to get your heads down and devise new policies that are pragmatic, workable and will show you in a good light. Then publish them and approach voters to communicate.
Much of your problem is that no one really knows what Cope stands for. If Cope would keep itself busy showing how it could improve the national, provincial and local landscapes, voters would see its value, as long as the thought processes were an improvement on the ANC ones.
It would also leaves less time for bickering and infighting.
During the apartheid era (not good) party representatives visited every home in their constituency (good). Since 1994, I have met not one. If politicians are scared of my dogs, they’ll be too scared to govern…
COPE has been totally invisible. All it has so far achieved was the plecement of more ineffective but well-remunerated mPs in Parliament. It is not enough to be anti-ANC without tehir own strong platform. The same old faces like Lekota and Shilowa used to be part of the same corrupt ANC. COPE is totally invisible and inactive, no, matter what they say. They were my hope once, but I shall never vote for them again.
Much of what has been traversed in this article is so very true. Unfortunately, I do not hear of any concrete solutions being proposed to gow the COPE movement merely abstract notions.
Contrasting COPE to the ruling party merely shows us what is wrong with the ruling party but not what is good with COPE. Inevitably, I must admit that one cannot paint a picture of COPE without reference to the ruling party.
One commentator mentions how people do not know what COPE stands for due to lack of policy directives; I am wont to disagree. The electorate votes based on the status quo that being grants (in whatever form), housing (promises of) and poverty alleviation (also promises). COPE should promise these things and actually DELIVER, the DA has done it in CT.
Lastly, COPE has a decent future ahead and the electorate should not be fooled into believing otherwise.
Siyanda. i agree with your views and enough of that now. I’m going to ask you again as Cope’s spokesperson what do you guys stand for????
Siyanda
You’ve raised valid points about the follies of the ruling party, I hope that you realise that these are gaps on which COPE can capitalise rebuild itself.
Siyanda or Qedamanga or whatever you call yourself,your offering had almost nothing or little to deal with the Cope vision from now onwards.The fan fare under which Cope was formed has soon died.Your are one year old but there is nothing to show except ANC this ANC that.A sentence cannot go on without ranting about the ANC in a negaitive way.Helen Zille has an unconstitutional,all male,white dominated cabinet in Western Cape,Cape Town is regarded as one of the racist city in the world yet that concen you less.Your concern is to be the unwanted,undemocratic,bitter,hateful,cold so called extension of the ANC wanting to prolonged the factionalist period of Thabo Mbeki presidency which flopped
It is Malema who observed that the M&G is not a ‘big newspaper’. Send your views to the Daily Sun, pity no one will publish them. But try.
Everytime I hear the word COPE,I want to vomit.I think the remaining leadership is just plain obstinate to believe that they are an alternative.Our ANC is accused of neglecting voters soon as elections pass.This, it is alleged, happens after so many ‘promises’.Yet I want to believe the majority of South Africans voted the ANC noting the democratic breakthrough of 1994.Freedom is yet to be realised thus the vote for the ANC and the belief that it will deliver (economic) freedom to the majority of our people.
It is common knowledge that our people are reaching boiling point.They want the ANC to deliver and would want the administration of JZ to succeed.So mentioning the ‘hands in the cookie jar ‘ of our comrades does not necessarily result in the swaying of votes to the COPE.COPE does not offer voters tangible solutions to the following, for instance:
*Landlessness
*Poverty
*Unemployment
*Quality of education(OBE specific)
*Economic Inequality amongst races
*Recession
*Race relations(reconciliation without justice)
*Contact Crime in the township
*Nationalisation
*etc.
Instead COPE bombards us with allegations of corruption,croynism,patronage,etc as if their voters wanted them to fight that alone.People who voted COPE are also affected by what they fail to address themselves to esp. issues I raised.JJ Tabane on his blog also failed to answer my questions.Unless we are saying in SOUTH AFRICA, opposition means talking about corruption only.Either COPE closes shop or scrapheap of history.
You’re correct about your analysis about the ANC….but where did the DA ‘betray’ the population. You forgot to add, that the ANC losers at Polokwane formed COPE. They were as corrupt and greedy as this lot. Only a complete break with the ANC past and present, will bring about the change this country so desperately needs. The problems of Health care, The SABC, The SADF and everything else is as much the problems of the new COPE or ANC light leadership. As they say in revolutionary circles, the looting continues.
Siyanda thanks for the well balanced write-up about issues in relation to the ANC. However, it must be noted that in the 15yrs of our democracy we have come to define politics as essentially the “management of corruption”. Anyone who intereferes with that is kicked out of the ANC. COPE as the breakaway grouping from the ANC still has the same tendencies,you must please prove yourself in action, deliver, stop the squabbling amongst yoyrselves. Play a much more prominent role in building our country!
Im sorry i couldnt warn you Siyanda that this website is populated by a mixture of some very active “loyal ANC sheep followers” and “patronage beneficiaries” who sing very well for their supper.Dont take them serious.
Write again Siyanda. Write again!!!!
http://www.timeslive.co.za/news/article224165.ece
Emough said from my side
I am suprised Siyanda still belives so much in the rhetoric that he was preaching about two or so years ago. I, together with a collective I worked with in the Motheo Region of COPE, hosted Siyanda and more than 3000 “delegates” in Bloemfontein a year ago and whilst it was fun being part of such a historic initiative, I left that conference wondering what have we really achieved in that chaotic event. The resignation, a few days later, of the Inaugural Conference Organiser Lucky Thekisho heightened my suspicions that we have been taken for a ride by a group of individuals who were not prepared to be led. I decided to throw my weight behind setting up structures in my region whilst the Provincial factions (which originated from the ANC by the way) continued to assasinate each other’s characters and in the process build factional empires. I left this extension of what ANC had become then and decided to stay clear of politics. The party which claimed every member is free to join a party of his or her choice decided to condemn privately and publicly those who decided to leave. Who’s fooling who here? COPE is an imitation and will continue to bleed to a painful natural death. I know it’s very easy to just blame the ruling party(I have since decided to rejoin)instead of coming with policies. How do you stand tall when you can’t even define that tallness?