/ 5 August 2016

Letters to the editor: August 5 to 11 2016

Residents of Langa
Residents of Langa

Why I can no longer vote ANC

One cannot state that one is a Christian because one’s parents are Christians. No, that is not satisfactory. One has to first state what Christianity is and what it entails.

One has to state how one has seen God doing wonders in one’s life, and why one still continues believing in the Lord. The same applies to being a member of, or a voter for, a certain political party. One has to know the history of the political party, what the party stands for, its manifesto and the key people in this party, past and present.

Yes, I may have third-generation DNA from ANC liberation activists from my maternal side. And yes, I may have been a card-carrying member of this precious party for half a decade. But all this entitles me to nothing.

The ANC was not the only political party that fought for our liberation and it was not the only political party that brought about our freedom. We also had organisations such as the Azanian People’s Organisation, the Black Consciousness Movement and the Pan Africanist Congress.

Our history and existence as South Africans doesn’t begin in 1652 when Jan van Riebeeck landed at the Cape of Good Hope and our liberation does not start in 1990 when Nelson Mandela was released from prison. There were heroes and heroines before him who undoubtedly made greater strides than he did.

These people were from various political organisations, not just the ANC. Yes, we thank the ANC for programmes such as social grants, RDP houses and the National Student Financial Aid Scheme. Observant people will tell you that school education is now free in South Africa and that it’s all thanks to our ANC-run government – but didn’t we put them there as our public servants?

Is the ANC the only political party governing this country? No – the answer doesn’t require statistics or the number of seats it holds in Parliament.

Although the Economic Freedom Fighters fights for economic freedom and land, and although the Democratic Alliance is promising all of us jobs and opportunities, it is apparent that the DA has made the Western Cape a very racially segregated province, so one is bound to be sceptical about their assertions.

As for the EFF, they haven’t shown or explained how they are going to go about implementing their promises.

All I personally want is justice. Not jobs or land but justice, because we cannot all go to work and we cannot all possess land.

I want justice in all spheres, as ours should aim to be a communitarian and egalitarian society, because capitalism has proven to be a dismal failure, both socially and morally.

The rich are becoming richer at the expense of the poorest, who are also becoming worse off.

President Jacob Zuma has taken our taxes to upgrade his home. Where’s the justice in that? His predecessor, Thabo Mbeki, is no better because [his government’s policies] killed thousands of HIV-positive people by instructing them to eat vegetables instead of providing antiretrovirals.

Come August 3, I will not vote for the DA, the EFF or any other political organisation. I will always be an ANC supporter, but this time around they will be one vote short.

I will not vote for a party that undermines my intelligence, a party that invites the likes of Khanyi Mbau and Pearl Thusi to address me about my precious party. Have they run out of efficient and intelligent leaders? – Nkululeko Zondi


Spitting venom at Zuma

You probably won’t print this because you guys are not objective any more. This is a sad reflection on the path that the Mail & Guardian has taken recently.

The words by President Jacob Zuma in Verbatim (July 29) was a gratuitous inclusion of the worst sort. Word for word, his statement was a lie. The truth is that the ANC took in the “snakes” of the New National Party (formerly the National Party) to gain power in Cape Town and the Western Cape. This was in Nelson Mandela’s time as president. The current president is a liar.

That the M&G repeated this distortion of the truth is reprehensible. Zuma is right, though: when a poisonous snake gives birth, it gives birth to another snake that speaks with a forked tongue and robs the people.

The Democratic Alliance’s leader is a black man. Obviously, Zuma is lying. If the DA only had white voters, they would not be knocking on the door to push the ANC off the gravy train. – Tom Morgan


Just ox me what ‘inkabi’ means

I think one would be doing an injustice to society and African languages if your newspaper’s definition of “inkabi” in your front-page story (KZN hits linked to taxi boss) goes uncorrected. The expert quoted on the definition was Lwazi Mjiyako, a lecturer in African languages at the University of the Witwatersrand.

The definition is a misrepresentation of what an inkabi is. In fact, inkabi means a bull that has been castrated – an ox. It is used for ploughing fields and so forth. It gains its strength from the fact that it does not mate and is therefore more manageable. It’s a workhorse. – S Hlela