People are sick and tired
IT IS the same old story. Politicians are playing their usual blaming game while the community is up in arms demanding service delivery.
- Cape protest claims a 4th life
- Service protests don't spell ANC demise - Zuma
- Women must fight service protests - Premier
- Marlboro residents take fight for land to court
- Man chains himself to desk to demand electricity
- Protesters burn vehicles
- DA promises a new era of growth
- Service delivery protest closes busy city road
- Spotlight on service delivery in Mpumalanga
- 'Poor service delivery cripples SA business'
- 'Financial distress of provinces hits service delivery'
- Millions lost to civil service fraud
That is what is happening in Western Cape.
According to a recent report on service delivery protests Western Cape is the leader of the pack when it comes to the number of such protests.
But instead of dealing with this reality the Democratic Alliance-led government is accusing the ANC and its Youth League of stoking the fires.
Last week at a press conference DA leader and Western Cape premier Helen Zille told the media her government had called on the State Security Agency to investigate the "seditious threats" issued by some Youth League leaders, who threatened to make the province" ungovernable".
Now Cape Town mayor Patricia de Lille is blaming the service delivery protests on the failure by ANC councillors in the DA-led province to communicate the city's policies to their constituency.
Essentially De Lille wants the public to believe the service delivery protests ravaging the province are all due to "a lack of communication".
As expected the ANC councillors have come out with guns blazing, accusing the DA of ramming decision down down their throats and ignoring inputs aimed at dealing with the affected constituencies.
The unfortunate reality is that while the two parties are playing their political games the city is burning because the people are unhappy with service delivery.
The DA, like the ANC wherever it is in power, must stop blaming the victims - accusing them of being political tools - and deliver.
These parties must stop hiding behind the amorphous "third force" or "uncooperative officials" and implement the progressive policies they always crow about when their service delivery record is questioned.
This country has been known to have some of the most progressive and democratic policies. It is however common knowledge that its Achilles heel has been the failure to implement these policies.
The people of Western Cape and many others throughout the country are sick and tired of being given excuses such as "a lack of capacity", whenever they demand that their rights to basic services like housing , water and electricity be respected.
What they want is a qualitative improvement in their lives.
That is what they expect of the much-talked-about new South Africa.
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Comments
RobinH
This is NOT only a Western Cape issue. Does this columnist have eyes? It's an editorial. JEEZ!!! Do you even read your own newspaper? Partisan journalism. Shame on you.Report Abuse
Sinudeity_
Nah, the people are protesting because they are not given more free $h17. And as for the editorial, the ANC/ANCYL IS RESPONSIBLE for inciting protests. Its common knowledge. The irony is, that the protests are mostly happening in ANC controlled municipalities. In turn, the protestors are disrupting everyday people, driving to work, so that they can pay taxes so that the protestors can be given more free $h17.I say **** em. If they want to block the roads, or throw $h17 in the streets, stop giving them anything. Let them start moving back to the ECape.
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Sinudeity_
Sure, all cities are experiencing problems of urbanisation. But CT is the only city where people are moving in from OTHER cities to be here. Now these REFUGEES moving here from other places, come to our city and start protesting. Its like Im opening my house for a neighbour to stay in, because his house has been condemned, but then the dude starts screaming at me for not delivering to his specific tastes.Report Abuse
RobinH
I agree that politicians foment this to their advantage. BUT it is everywhere! Politicians should all be put against a wall and .......Report Abuse
MicaParis
''Don’t you know they’re talkin’ ’bout a revolution,It sounds like a whisper…
While they’re standing in the welfare lines
Crying at the doorsteps of those armies of salvation
Wasting time in the unemployment lines…
Sitting around waiting for a promotion…
Don’t you know they’re talkin’ ’bout a revolution,
It sounds like a whisper…
Poor people gonna rise up
Get their share
Poor people gonna rise up,
Take what’s theirs…''
Tracy Chapman’s iconic 80s song Talkin’ ’bout a Revolution has resonance not only in South Africa but around the world as people increasingly demand freedom – whether during the so-called Arab Spring, the Greeks rising up against austerity measures or in the French choice of social democrat François Hollande.
Since 2009, ''Government'' has arguably fallen into further dysfunction. It is time sufficient political will is summoned to deal firmly with corruption and ''looting'' in the Presidency and Office of the Premiers' in our country.
If we fail to do so, poor people will indeed rise up and “take what’s theirs”, ironically it might be impossible to access the keys to Union Building for the ANC for another 100 years again in contradiction of the 100 years celebration!
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Msiphos00
pressconference, andWestern, hergovernment, toinvestigate, mayorPatricia, tocommunicate, oframming, stophiding, theprogressive, mostprogressive and democraticpolicies.Are these spelling mistakes or typing errors - Sowetan
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MommaC
This is across the board. Even in areas where a party is completely dominant, the political minions stir up trouble to get the current 'comrade' off the gravy train and themselves on to it.Part of the problem is communication (or rather lack thereof), part is the rampant theft, part is communities having unreasonable demands, part is political posturing - it is a complex, toxic mix in which the biggest loser is our country as a whole
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Fred55
I know people that work for Cape Town City Council and local government. They confirm that the DA govt's attempts to provide service delivery in certain areas of khayelitsha and Browns farm in Philippi are getting frustrated by ANC councillors and ANCYL trouble causers.Why do you think people burn their toilets? ANCYL incites them to do it.
The ANC does not want the DA to do show that it can govern and provide services to these very poor areas. They are not thinking of their people on the ground. They want to take back power from the DA.
The DA relies on the ANC lead national government for funding so it is very easy for the ANC to make things difficult for the DA.
Also, thousands of people are moving to the Western Cape all the time and it is very difficult to find the money and the land to build houses for them and provide services.
The ANC won't send soldiers to help in the gang lands of the Cape and the SAPS is controlled by the ANC national government. Once again they cruely make the decision not to send soldiers in so that they can make the Western Cape ungovernable.
I am afraid that the DA is right about this point. The ANC government doesn't give a damn about the poor. All it cares about is keeping power so that it's cadres can have access to the states money pot so they they can enrich themselves.
People that are unable to see this by now are very naive or they are ANC cadres eating and stealing our taxes!
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CB045
If one look at the statistics of service delivery nation-wide, which province has been the most successful and progressive? Remembering of course, that the ANC is in the majority. It's a simple matter to hide one's faults by arguing and casting doubt in the public domain. However, if meetings and debates were captured on camera and produced to support their arguments, the public would be in a better position to make its own decision. If the technology is available, why not make usse of it and televise it on national TV, since it tends to run constant re-runs of movies we have already seen.I congratulate the DA for their efforts for trying to South Africa 'honest' compared to the ANC who thinks most people are stereotyped to their way of thinking.
A mere reflection of roads that are not timeously maintained, sewerage and water pipes, public transport, hospitals, clinics, traffic, police and government as a whole leaves much to be desired. Despite the lack of education, the people will realise it is time for change and protests of a different nature would arise, and it would be aimed at those powerful figures in government.
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Lehido
Thats why I said it doesnt matter who is in power, all poo-liticians are the same......Report Abuse
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