The much-discussed national convention, driven by those unhappy with the African National Congress, got under way in Sandton this weekend. South Africans attending the convention give their views on what the start of a new movement means to them.
Alice Mosikane Alice Mosikane (54), from Kimberley in the Northern Cape: ”I support these guys because the ANC people were unfair with us. [ANC secretary general] Gwede Mantashe came and said we are the filibusters when we were having problems. He believed them when the leaders said that things were right, but they were not.
”Mantashe destroyed the ANC that Mandela had built. But we will see. We are the people who work on the grassroots, we organise, we go door-to-door [to campaign]. We will see who will do that now.
”We are very pleased about this convention, it has the principles that Mandela had cried for.
Brenda Sakwe Brenda Sakwe (33), an attorney from Johannesburg, said: ”I feel that as the youth we have not been involved, we would just let our parents go and make decisions for us.
”What is going on at the moment in politics boils down to values and that has to do with who you choose as your leader.
”We are tired of crime and poverty, it has been a while since 1994 in terms of where we are. We are going at too slow a pace, we need real change.
”I have never been involved in politics, but I share some sentiment with those who are leading this thing, they are people I have trust in. I am still an ANC supporter, though, I am weighing my options and I want to hear what these people [in the Shikota movement] have to say before I made my final decision.”
Colleen van Wyk Colleen van Wyk (53), from Somerset West, Western Cape: ”I support Lekota’s thinking, I think we have finally some moral fibre resurfacing during a very gloomy period in our lives. ”I used to be an IFP member but I see positive leadership in the making here and that is what we need, moral leadership. The ANC is slipping and here is something that is beginning to surface that could disturb the two-thirds majority,” she says. ”I want to go back and enlighten white students in the Western Cape who are so apathetic. We have to find a way of tweaking our conscience. I brought my two daughters along who are both students. They must know they have a role to play and can make a contribution. This movement is not just about the leaders, it is a group of like-minded folk, even the intelligentsia is moving in this direction.
Khutso Kolwane Khutso Kolwane (27), an underground operator at a diamond mine in Kuruman in the Northern Cape, said: ”I am here on behalf of the list convention that took place in the Northern Cape. I was a member of the ANC, but at the ANC they disrespect us. They will take another person for a position rather than the person we want.
”In the Kuruman region where I come from, when you attend meetings and you want to raise a point about services like water and RDP houses, they make you look like an attacker. We just want services, we just want the services to get to the people, but they don’t take our concerns seriously. I want to make sure that we give support to new leaders, and give jobs to young people to be new leaders.”
Nora Statela Nora Statela (51), from East London said: ”I’m here because I’m thinking of my background. In 1955 my mother was fighting for our rights, now I see that our rights are destroyed.
”I want unity, I want our rights to come right, I don’t want our leaders to destroy our rights.
”The ANC started going bad since Polokwane, up to Mbeki the ANC was a quality ANC. Now it is not that anymore. Zuma has got a new leader, a young one that doesn’t think when he says something, everything has changed in the ANC now.”
Nozipho Moloto Nozipho Moloto (48), from Guguletu in the Western Cape is an entrepreneur who owns a construction company: ”There are too many things that are going wrong, the economy of our country is going down, for instance, that is why I am here.
”The way we were treated at branch level was very bad. They would harass you, you can’t voice your opinion. We were not treated as members. It is like when things are going badly at home, you have to run outside to escape. You can’t stay there.
”It is about greed, those on top think they own the organisation. We are coming to fetch the name and the emblem and the colours of the ANC and take it back. The discipline is not the same. The language they use, the rudeness, when you talk they howl.
”Some leaders also think they are now something. One of the leaders used to be my friend and we used to be in branch committees together. Now she is up there, so now she can’t talk to you anymore. I’m in construction because there are a lot of opportunities for women. I’m going to build a bridge one day, I tell you.”
Sindile Pemba Sindile Pemba (30), from the Western Cape’s Overberg region, earns a living by setting up a braai stand and selling meat to the public. ”It doesn’t give me much, but I try to do something valuable with it.”
He says most youngsters do not get a tertiary education despite the fact that the Western Cape is home to several high-profile tertiary institutions. ”Too many young people have passed grade 12 but do not have money for university. They don’t even know where to get information that can help them, because the ANC Youth League had neglected its duties.”
Themba Mateza Themba Mateza (21) resigned from ANCYL Matthew Goniwe Branch in South Cape region, George.
Mateza wants Shikota to form a youth wing led by a president who will be a champion of youth development. He also complains about lack of access to information that could contribute to youth development. ”After matric, they are hopeless because their families cannot afford to send them to a tertiary institution.”
Most of them remain unemployed, he said. ”When you go to the municipality, they ask for a driver’s licence and we can’t even afford to pay for driving lessons. The new party should open opportunities for all people.”