There is clear blue water between the DA and other parties
Rather than roll all parties and politicians into one ball and toss it away as being "in the hands of thoughtless idiots whose main business is to steal money" (Prince Mashele, Sowetan, January 7 2019), political commentators should be using every opportunity to assist voters to make the best possible decision in the critical 2019 national election.
Commentators can fulfil the all-important role of distinguishing fact from fiction, and empty slogans from real governance achievements. Or they can be part of the problem, which is that South African voters are overall not equipped with the information and education they need to make voting decisions in their best interest.
There are vast differences between the main political parties - in their ethics, values, governing track records and policies. To suggest otherwise is misleading and irresponsible.
At the end of the day, political parties exist for one reason and one reason only: to govern well for all people. The fact is, the DA-run Western Cape province leads by a country mile on every metric of good governance.
Voters need to know that in just two years, the DA-run coalition government in Johannesburg has saved residents over R18bn by terminating corrupt contracts of the previous administration. It has cut wasteful expenditure by R480m per annum, allowing it to triple the spend on repairs and maintenance of city infrastructure and to recruit an additional 1,500 JMPD officers to fight crime.