President Cyril Ramaphosa’s second State of the Nation Address (SONA) on 7 February contained a few surprises. Predictably however, it was also an ANC Election Campaign speech.

Some of the President’s major announcements were the return of the Elite Investigative Unit (Scorpions) in the NPA to tackle serious cases of corruption, urging the swift arrests and prosecutions of those implicated in State Capture – many of whom were sitting in the ANC benches – and the unbundling of Eskom into three separate operational divisions.

Ramaphosa also warned that ailing power utility, Eskom’s reported R600 billion debt – if not addressed urgently – could potentially derail South Africa’s economic turnaround strategy. 

The ruling party’s solution to the health crisis is the National Health Insurance (NHI) plan. However, neither the President nor the Minister of Health explained how it would be funded.

South Africa finds itself in a precarious economic situation as a result of decades of rampant corruption, gross incompetence and law-enforcement and prosecution paralysis.

Significantly however, the country has huge potential. After 25 years of democracy the nation is still struggling to make real progress due mainly to failed political and public sector leadership.

The announcement that the 6th Democratic General Elections will be held on 8 May 2019 again provides citizens with the once-in-five-years opportunity to vote for real change in South Africa.

A recent survey indicates, for the first time in South Africa’s young democracy, a majority of voters (53 percent) have no allegiance to any of the political party’s currently in Parliament. 

This means 53 percent of voters – mainly young people – are disillusioned with the current political landscape. This widespread disappointment with South African politics might explain the unusually large number of new political parties registered to contest the 2019 General Elections.

The ruling party’s brazen acts of self-enrichment, corruption, fraud and gross maladministration are a tragic manifestation of its false sense of invincibility. As a result, several of its leaders repeatedly and arrogantly declared, “The ANC will rule until Jesus comes.”

Many of the people currently sitting in Parliament and the provincial legislatures are there because of their unwavering loyalty to the party bosses and not the people of South Africa.

Remember, ANC MP’s voted to protect their party leader in no less than eight no-confidence motions in former president Jacob Zuma – despite overwhelming evidence of wrongdoing. 

There are significant court challenges in progress to amend South Africa’s Electoral Act to provide independent candidates the constitutional right to contest the General Elections.

God is doing a new thing in South Africa. After 25 years of load-shedding democracy, the nation needs a fresh start. You and I must therefore pray and vote for New Beginnings on 8 May.

Date published: 13/02/2019
Written by: Errol Naidoo
Article source: familypolicyinstitute.com