So many different voices of opinion and a host of negative, even more scary news, the closer we get to the election. All the speculation, criticism and different perspectives leave one unsure who or what to believe.
Morale in the country is low; politics is unhealthy, seemingly weak, self-centred and incompetent politicians threaten the prosperity of the country and its people. One wonders what happened to the better calibre of politicians, even in the old ANC?
However, I always believe there are always two or more sides to a story. Would the current position be more evenly balanced than the dominant pessimism suggests?
Many people wonder what Nelson Mandela would say. We will never know, but what we do know for sure is that the ANC is not the same party of Oliver Tambo and Nelson Mandela of yesteryear. Perhaps it is time that we all first shake the "chip" off our shoulders and remove the beam from our own eyes!
Despite all the damning noise, there are still people who make a positive contribution at all levels in society. Adv Glynnis Breytenbach (DA), whom I have enormous respect for, says it is striking how many policy similarities there are currently between the ANC and DA as well as the much smaller opposition parties.
That the ANC will crumble and disappear after 2024 is wishful thinking. It is still supported by millions of good and decent citizens in the country. For many, the ANC has created a better life than they had during the apartheid years, and in contrast to the ANC’s shortcomings, there is still not enough trust in the DA or in other smaller political parties.
It is not difficult to understand that the DA's future growth lies in a third of the ANC's electorate. One wonders why this goal was not intensely driven years ago, because currently (40%), they, together with moderate parties, still lack sufficient electorate votes to be able to govern after 2024.
Despite all frustrations, we must remain hopeful. There are far more good people than bad. Good things still happen. It’s time to work together instead of fighting or humiliating each other.
Marianne Barnard, Durban
READER LETTER | There's still hope for a better future in SA
Image: Gallo Images/Lisa Hinatowicz
So many different voices of opinion and a host of negative, even more scary news, the closer we get to the election. All the speculation, criticism and different perspectives leave one unsure who or what to believe.
Morale in the country is low; politics is unhealthy, seemingly weak, self-centred and incompetent politicians threaten the prosperity of the country and its people. One wonders what happened to the better calibre of politicians, even in the old ANC?
However, I always believe there are always two or more sides to a story. Would the current position be more evenly balanced than the dominant pessimism suggests?
Many people wonder what Nelson Mandela would say. We will never know, but what we do know for sure is that the ANC is not the same party of Oliver Tambo and Nelson Mandela of yesteryear. Perhaps it is time that we all first shake the "chip" off our shoulders and remove the beam from our own eyes!
Despite all the damning noise, there are still people who make a positive contribution at all levels in society. Adv Glynnis Breytenbach (DA), whom I have enormous respect for, says it is striking how many policy similarities there are currently between the ANC and DA as well as the much smaller opposition parties.
That the ANC will crumble and disappear after 2024 is wishful thinking. It is still supported by millions of good and decent citizens in the country. For many, the ANC has created a better life than they had during the apartheid years, and in contrast to the ANC’s shortcomings, there is still not enough trust in the DA or in other smaller political parties.
It is not difficult to understand that the DA's future growth lies in a third of the ANC's electorate. One wonders why this goal was not intensely driven years ago, because currently (40%), they, together with moderate parties, still lack sufficient electorate votes to be able to govern after 2024.
Despite all frustrations, we must remain hopeful. There are far more good people than bad. Good things still happen. It’s time to work together instead of fighting or humiliating each other.
Marianne Barnard, Durban
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