TODANI NODOBA | South Africans yearn for a party that will put citizens first, fulfill promises

As we approach the 2024 elections the most prevalent question in some circles is which political party one should vote for.

Our democracy is gradually getting diluted and viewed with a sense of mistrust and hopelessness. Many political parties have so far launched their manifestos. Sadly, most of the promises made during elections are never fulfilled until the next elections and the cycle continues.

One is reminded of a story wherein a young man was about to die and was told to first visit both heaven and hell so he could make a choice on where to go after death. He chose to visit hell first and upon his visit, hell was abuzz with glamorous activities. To his surprise on that day, the devil was good looking without the proverbial horns we associate him with. Hell seemed peaceful and the devil was busy addressing some forum. The young man was appalled. The stories he heard about hell were nothing close to the truth. The devil was not as ugly as people painted him to be.

The young man was then asked if he would proceed to heaven, and he decided not to go, after all hell was a beautiful place. He then chose hell as his place of destiny. On the day of his death, he was suddenly transported to hell and to his surprise hell looked different from how it looked during his previous visit. Hell was hot and chaos prevailed. He then asked why hell had suddenly become disorderly. The devil told him that on his previous visit, they were busy campaigning. This is the scenario of most political campaigns and elections in many countries.

SA has also joined the bandwagon. Although elections are associated with democracy, the opposite is mostly the case. During the election season, we see our politicians visiting all parts of the country and thereafter disappearing into thin air. As a result, for many South Africans, the call to vote is getting ignored. The low voter turnouts for previous elections attest to that.

Many citizens have chosen to ignore this constitutional right that our Struggle heroes and heroines fought for. The abstinence from voting is a sad state of reality and it does not help in the progress of our country’s democracy. Despite the fact that political parties make empty promises and disappoint us through corrupt tendencies, we still need to exercise our democratic right to vote.

Notably, the current ruling party has disappointed citizens many times. The little it has done since 1994 is gradually being overshadowed by the soaring greed and corruption. There are many reasons one can give why they will not vote in the upcoming elections. Nonetheless, it’s important that we vote. As voters, we still have many options. There are parties that are still in good shape though some of them may have no presence.

It’s therefore crucial for any voter to consider the manifesto of the political party that they are voting for, what the political party stands for, and their promises. Some promises are too good to be true.

A political party that promises to hike the grants of South Africans across the board, for example, for me presents a red flag. The economy is in a dire state and for it to recuperate will take nothing less than 10 years, at least. For a political party that promises such, one has to think twice.

Any political party that encourages the empowerment of the citizenry through community development projects and empowerment programmes is on the right path. Our people need empowerment and skills to alleviate the escalating poverty levels, a fertile ground for rampant crime. Gangsterism and kidnapping can only be dealt with by a leadership with a heart for its citizenry.

Our people have been taken for a ride through cheap politicking and enslaved through many grants and food parcels. Political parties that want to reign for eternity must not be voted for. Our economy is at its lowest ebb and the gap between the haves and the have-nots continues widening. We need to revive our political schools and educate our people about democracy and what servant-leadership entails.

• Nodoba is a media studies lecturer at the University of Venda. She writes in her personal capacity.