READER LETTER | South Africans are still suffering

South Africans have never really known peace in their lives. Colonialism and apartheid were oppressive to those that were classified non-white, and as history shows, there were some whites, however few, who were against what they saw as cruel racist discrimination, dehumanising in all its forms, that they denied themselves all those undeserved privileges that were only reserved for whites, risking their lives by joining the Struggle. 

But why was almost everything working so relatively well in those years? A fact that cannot be denied, no matter how bitter it might be to swallow.

Then came the years of fierce fighting for liberation, with the formation of many political parties, and that is where the problem started, when divergent views and ideologies caused friction among people who were supposedly fighting for the achievement of the same goal – freedom, democracy, human rights and dignity. 

With the dawn of democracy in 1994, we all thought that those dark days were behind us. Alas! Life has now become a  nightmare  we could never have foreseen,  chaotic, unprecedented suffering, hunger, unstable government in the form of directionless coalitions  after dismal failure of the ANC government, stagnant economy, no water, no electricity, killings, rapes and all kinds of criminality anyone can think of.

So, all the democratic gains that we had cherished for so long have turned out to be  nothing but a mirage. Mature, stable countries with working coalition governments must be wondering what is causing all the mayhem that has characterised our coalitions. But then, there is no  country in the world with as many political parties as we have in the name of democracy – a recipe for confusion.

As they say, be careful what you wish for.

Cometh Dube-Makholwa, Midrand