NATHANIEL LEE | Origin of SA's instability woes is ANC corruption destroying the country

Only an eternal optimist would deny that things are falling apart in SA if recent unpalatable incidents are anything to go by.

In one week, there were reports about the so-called construction mafias seeking to extort a 30% stake from construction companies in KZN, 17 people dying after inhaling toxic fumes after the zama zamas’ illegal mining activities in Boksburg and the truck attacks, which have seen more than 20 cargo trucks being torched on highways across KZN, Mpumalanga and Limpopo.

These incidents have called into question the functionality of SAs’ intelligence services and law enforcements agencies. The brazenness with which these acts of criminality and economic sabotage were carried out points to a lack or fear of consequences.

The erstwhile Cosatu general secretary, Zwelinzima Vavi, used to attach “Absolutely No Consequences” to the ANC acronym. Indeed, no consequences have befallen those fingered to have aided and abetted the state capture project. The likes of Malusi Gigaba and Nomvula Mokonyane are paraded on television as some kind of experts. A year after the release of the Zondo commission report into state capture, the NPA is yet to implement the recommendations against those implicated.

These recent incidents are but a few of the indicators of national instability alongside mass murders, crippling bouts of loadshedding, general energy insecurity, poor education outcomes and Jacob Zuma, among others. To this combustible cocktail can be added the high rate of youth unemployment.

The country is now on tenterhooks with fears of a repeat of the July 2021 riots with some commentators urging a cost/benefit analysis in implementing the order of the highest court in our constitutional democracy. The principle of equality before the law seems not to apply when it comes to Zuma.

When it comes to SA, it seems the erstwhile Toyota slogan of “everything keeps going right”, is turned upside down as it seems everything keeps going wrong. It is clear that almost three decades after the democratic dispensation, the ANC has dismally failed to bring the aspirations of the masses to fruition but has instead brought the country to the brink of doom. There is an urgent need for civic intervention to salvage what is left. The 2024 elections will provide what will probably be the last opportunity to rescue the country from the clutches of ANC incompetence, corruption and slide to impotence.

To this end, it is imperative for the IEC and department of basic education to strengthen their partnership to ensure the closing of the gap of voter apathy among the youth. The department of home affairs should be roped in to assist those pupils without IDs to apply for one.

The aim of the campaign should be to increase the registration of the youth to ensure the strengthening of the democratic project. Schools should be in the forefront of imparting democracy education and also emphasise the importance of voting in this regard.

The overall aims of the joint campaign should be to raise awareness of the forthcoming 2024 national and provincial elections, to introduce the IEC to pupils, teach them about democracy, their rights and responsibilities as voters, how to register to vote, and how to think critically about democratic issues and also to increase the registration of the youth aged 16 and above on the national voters’ roll. Political parties must be invited to observe and ensure that the campaign is conducted in a fair manner without political bias.

The origin of SA’s instability woes is the ANC corruption which, if allowed to continue, will lead to the destruction of the country. Within the education sector, such destruction can be manifest through the destruction of school infrastructure as witnessed during the July 2021 unrest sparked by the arrest of the kingpin of state capture, Zuma. It can lead to school closures, population displacements and serve as a barrier to improving the quality of education.

To arrest the slide to impunity, it is imperative that voter apathy is overturned and the majority of citizens register and vote in the elections to ensure the complete or significant removal of the ANC from the political equation. Hopefully, this will ensure that the worst is not yet to come and we can start proclaiming that everything keeps going right in SA.