Interview - South Africans are days away from voting in what many agree is a defining election 30 years after the first time all citizens won the right to vote. Three decades later, not even a drop of rainbow nation euphoria remains - it's been drowned by corruption, crime, and poverty.
South Africa ns are days away from voting in what many agree is a defining election 30 years after the first time all citizens won the right to vote. Three decades later, not even a drop of rainbow nation euphoria remains - it's been drowned by corruption, crime, and poverty.
It's just really difficult to get to because you know, you travel long distances if you are people that you see, you know, in an urban setting, but we've been to far-flung places in Limpopo, Northwest, the Free State, and so on. So it's been diverse.
We're trying to not be that. The message and the culture are more powerful than any one person, but in politics that also matters, people ask, who's the leader? So we've had to do that as well. You know, which, for me feels a bit invasive because, you know, like, I've had to share parts of my story. And Axolile and others have had to do the same. But I think that part is gonna take time. It will take time.It does.
I wanted to speak about some of the challenges that the continent faces and get Rise Mzansi's take on what is happening. Firstly, with Kenya, the Haiti situation, and the fact that they plan on sending troops through to Haiti. It's seen as the US has given funding to Kenya's government, and President Ruto has taken it upon himself to be the kind of ally that will volunteer his police force to go to Haiti to sort out the"gangs".
Look, I mean... So here's my thing, and I take that point. Okay, I still think ... So firstly, Haiti does need an intervention. And it needs to be an international intervention, honestly, it needs to be I think that country has really collapsed, right, just in terms of its ability to manage its own affairs, right? I think though the ideal way to do it for me would be through a multilateral structure, I think you would still end up with Kenyan cops going because Kenya has got this appetite.
This is how you should have a government in Africa, which is going back to the 80s. So what I see actually as a bigger risk than sending Kenyan cops to Haiti, as a bigger risk, is that Africa is being Balkanised again, in terms of the 60s, 70s, and 80s Cold War politics. Because the other side of the coin are also deeply undemocratic powers like China and Russia. And all of these, there's a scramble for Africa, again, based on whether the idea of democracy works, or doesn't work.
And it can be hard because South African politics is silly. Grown-ups can also act in buffoonish ways - scream, and so on. Which actually, when I think about the 90s, it never used to happen. It's a culture that has just degenerated together with the ANC's degeneration, right? All the way to the formation of the EFF.
Not in minute detail, because you don't know which parties will get how many votes. However, there are some principles. So firstly, the political parties where the quid pro quo in the conversation is, that we have to protect our people, like we can't get arrested and that kind of thing. So those guys are out. Because we are here because of corruption. A lot of the time, so that's important. The second thing is the commitment to a five-year deal.
It's going to be a process. It's also a part of the culture, organizational culture, and organization in the form that the government is an organization. You need public servants who are quite ....senior public servants who are very intentional about doing this. I was talking to a friend of mine who used to work in the presidency in Thabo Mbeki's time. And if you are going to a political event, such as an ANC conference, you had to take leave.
News Politics Economy Trade Business Sports Current Events Travel South Africa Southern Africa Economy Business And Finance East Africa Governance Kenya Corruption
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Mzansi's challenges unveiled by RISE MzansiWATCH | Mzansi's challenges unveiled by RISE Mzansi
Read more »
South Africa: Elections 2024 - South Africa's Journey to Coalition GovernmentAnalysis - When the dust settles, the new government must focus on unity, economic growth and development.
Read more »
South Africa: Kenyatta Leads AU Election Observation Mission to Assess South Africa's Poll PreparednessThe head of the African Union Election Observation Mission (AUEOM), former President Uhuru Kenyatta, has kicked off a series of high-level meetings in Johannesburg, South Africa, to assess the country's preparedness for the upcoming General Elections scheduled for this Wednesday.
Read more »
South Africa: Parties Woo South Africa's Poorest Voters With Promise of Basic IncomeWith a third of the population unemployed, poverty has dramatically increased in South Africa in the past five years, and millions depend on grants.
Read more »
South Africa: How South Africa Is Working to Become a New Global PlayerSouth Africa is not just the strongest industrial nation on the continent, it is also making a name for itself internationally as a diplomatic powerhouse and the voice of the Global South.
Read more »
South Africa: Massive Opposition Grows as South Africa and France Protest TotalEnergies Offshore Oil and Ga...During the week of TotalEnergies' Annual General Meeting (AGM) (to be held today 24 May 2024) and Africa Day, protesters in both South Africa and France continue voicing their collective opposition to the multinationals' ongoing offshore oil and gas projects.
Read more »