SIPHAMANDLA ZONDI AND PHILISIWE MPONDO | Gatvol citizens becoming aware of vote power as parties are panicking

The way political parties and citizens are behaving right now gives a sense of agitation and expectation.

Elections are on the way. We see political parties organise themselves more energetically. They are going all out to win our hearts. A sense of panic is in the air though.

They are scrambling to put things together. The politics of spectacle means they must have big meetings. They attack each other ever more viciously now. It is very clear no political party is sitting comfortably, as the support they had in the past may not be guaranteed at the next elections.

Neither big nor small parties can predict their performance. Not anymore. Something has shifted in our political space. A shift in attitude to political power. A change in conduct as citizens become more and more aware that they have the power to change things.

Citizens can call the shots as should be the case in a progressive democracy. Such citizens are not easy to lull with food parcels, free T-shirts, or promises of social grants. They are not going to take the threats and cajoling from politicians desperate for their votes.

We are becoming a people who have little tolerance forlies and being played. Citizens refuse politicians coming to their areas to campaign before water is fixed, a road is built, or RDP allocations are sorted.

We recently saw media coverage of young people who took T-shirts from every political party that gave them out, but said they were still thinking about which way to vote. Some were even saying they won’t vote at all, which we don’t encourage. There is palpable disappointment in our political system, institutions, parties and ultimately politics in the air.

People feel let down by those they trusted. They feel abandoned by systems and policies they trusted. It seems some are becoming despondent and disillusioned. We must challenge them to come back and fix their communities and country. Some have turned into angry people prone to destruction and violence because they have been let down.

We, as the Devoted Citizen NGO movement, work to support citizens to become active stakeholders in positive change. We believe citizens matter. This is in line with the call for active citizenry by the National Development Plan, SA’s vision 2030. We envision citizens who believe that power is in their hands. They are the agents of change.

Citizens are patriotic enough to not let SA go to waste. Until we hold leaders accountable, we will experience unnecessary failure all around us. If we do not find creative ways of venting our righteous anger, we will end up burning and destroying our infrastructure and suffer even more.

We oppose the destructionof schools, water, electricityand public transport infrastructure that poor citizen sneed to survive daily. These are ours. They are not someone else’s. Do not torch a public bus but challenge your ward councillors, push for solutions or petition your MP, or just march.

Instead, use your numbers to signal change. Register to vote and vote for whoever you choose, but know who stands for the change you need. Bargain with your vote. Vote for those your country needs. To not vote is to harm ourselves.

The agitation that is in the air at the moment is about the citizens emerging to the centre of our society. It is time they do not allow hyenas to run their affairs in the economy and in politics. Gatvol citizens can be the change agents we need, provided their energies are harnessed to build better communities and a stronger nation.

“Nkosi sikelel’ i Afrika ”and “Morena boloka sechaba” are lines from our national anthem that mean may God bless our country. Citizens know they deserve better than they are getting right now: better leaders, parties, decisions, economy, politics, laws and services. The time for change for thebetter has come.

■ Zondi works for the University of Johannesburgand volunteers in the Devoted Citizen NGO, Mpondo is a politics MA student at UJ and a volunteer for Devoted Citizen