Sheer abuse of power

UNFORTUNATELY - for the South African electorate - it is the silly season again. This is the time when politicians go to extreme lengths in their quest to win support for themselves or their parties.

In this race some of the politicians will be suave and smooth in their efforts to win the hearts of voters.

But there will also be the likes of Hessequa mayor Christopher Taute, who will act like the power drunk mandarins they have become and demand loyalty at all cost.

Unfortunately, given the ANC's response to Taute's shenanigans, the South African electorate seems doomed to be caught in a web of blatant abuse of power by those it voted into office.

For the record, it is abuse of political office and power for Taute to write letters "of demand" to businesspeople who have tenders with the government asking them to fund the ANC's electioneering.

Businesspeople must get tenders on merit and then be allowed to use their money to support whatever cause they want, without being told that they could not be where they are were it not for "the ANC-run municipality".

What Taute has done is at the heart of the issue of political party funding and why it should be made public.

The argument that South Africa is not yet a mature democracy and funding should therefore be kept private only serves political parties.

It does nothing to help the voters decide whether, for example, they want to vote for a party that receives funds from certain individuals or organisations.