READER LETTER | Amend the constitution and vote wisely

The year 1994 was a historical and significant turning point in the history of a country that had survived centuries of colonialism and the oppression of black people by white people.

While racism exists in many countries across the world, the difference was that in SA it was institutionalised.

So, when the Struggle for liberation of the oppressed triumphed in 1994, the euphoria that swept across the country was understandable. The emergence of black people from that dark, bitter past, had a profound influence on the provisions of our constitution as it ought to reverse centuries of poverty, deprivation, humiliation, and oppression. It became a constitution that encapsulated nothing but the best future possible for the people of SA, which explains why it was hailed as the best constitution in the world.

But, 30 years of our democracy have proved that it is one thing to fantasise about things but a different thing altogether to bring our dreams to fruition. All the lofty promises enshrined in the constitution have proven very difficult to implement. Measures to protect and somehow reward the ANC for its prolonged and gruelling Struggle have also contributed to the failures of our democratic government.

This has led to the call for a thorough examination of the constitution and amendment of the areas that have led to the many problems plaguing our country. The first problem is the election of the country’s president, which is the exclusive right of the ANC branches and not the electorate. What kind of a democracy is that?

 The ANC cadre deployment policy, which former ANC member Trevor Manuel described in the Sunday Times this week as being, “At the heart of SA’s woes” reiterates what many South Africans have been saying.

How on earth can anyone think that deploying people with no training, academic qualification and experience to important senior public positions is the right thing to do? Failures of many government departments can be exclusively attributed to cadre deployment.

One shudder at the thought of SA falling into the hands of a new incapable government as this might signal the end of SA, Amend the constitution, and vote wisely.

Cometh Dube-Makholwa, Midrand