The Sona spectacle would be sheer comedy if it wasn’t so vulgar and tragic

Dear DM168 readers,

During one of our newspaper diary discussions this week, we chatted about State of the Nation (Sona) stories that were being worked on for this issue and one of them was a fashion photo essay that would highlight the different outfits worn by dignitaries.

I mentioned that I wasn’t at all interested in who wore what at Sona, not just because I have the fashion sense of a 10-year-old tomboy, but because I find the Sona spectacle grotesque.

What exactly is the ANC celebrating? Why are politicians dressed to the nines?

Why are they trying to gloss over the fact that they’ve done more harm than good in the past 30 years and have made this the most unequal country in the world, with millions of our poorest citizens living in abject poverty while the politicians they vote for show off their gaudy, overpriced threads?

Sona is an obscene pantomime and, as I listened to President Cyril Ramaphosa, I realised that the only thing worth celebrating was his speech writers’ ability to make even the most marginal of gains in the past three decades seem significant.

“In 1993, 71% of South Africans lived in poverty.” Yes, we know the apartheid government didn’t give a damn about people of colour. Nothing new there. “In 2020, according to the World Bank, only 55% are living in poverty.”

Seriously? Over 27 years, the ANC ensured that only 16% of the population was lifted out of poverty? Is Ramaphosa joking? How is this being presented as something positive when we all know that the figure of 55% would be closer to 0% if it wasn’t for the billions of rands being stolen by corrupt ANC politicians and the mafioso businessmen connected to them?

At some point during his ridiculously flowery speech, I found myself wondering if Ramaphosa was doing some sort of TikTok dare. Is there a #HoodwinkChallenge, or something similar, where politicians worldwide try to stuff as many lies and empty promises into a speech as possible? Or is he doing a new stand-up routine for an ANC-funded B-grade comedy club where the comedians get paid in roubles?

“Blah blah high-speed rail network between Durban and Joburg” – ha ha ha! “Blah blah state healthcare is amazing, our people love it” – yoh, is this guy on magic mushrooms?! “Blah blah we’re recovering billions and billions from State Capture prosecutions” – nah man, he must be on acid.

I despise politics and I’ve never been interested in this beat for precisely this reason – it’s a parade of never-ending lies that has morphed into the kind of tasteless jokes that even the president of a country laughs at.

But lucky for you, dear reader, I am not writing any of the Sona stories in this issue. At Daily Maverick, we have experts such as parliamentary specialist Marianne Merten, who has sifted through that interminable speech to bring you the context to understand the key points a little better. Her insightful lead story is on pages 4 and 5, and we’ve catered for the fashionistas too with the aforementioned photo essay on Page 6.

If you think I’m being too cynical, please read our Mining Indaba coverage (pages 32, 34 and 37) in which various CEOs explain why South African government failures have made operating in the country increasingly difficult, and read Zukiswa Pikoli’s column (Page 22) about how political party leaders seem to be far removed from the 4.3 million young citizens who have registered to vote.

Then, just as you reach boiling point when you begin to appreciate that our government has no intention of acknowledging its catastrophic blunders over the past 30 years, calm your nerves by reading the story on Page 12 about Eastern Cape doctors on a mission to help children crippled by a debilitating disease to walk again.

And then read the story on Page 14 about Promise Mthembu, who is fighting for ­justice for women who were victims of forced sterilisation.

And, as your blood pressure decreases, turn to our stories about the exceptionally talented Grammy-winning Tyla (Page 11) and Bafana star Ronwen Williams (Page 51), who provided a much-needed boost for our politically mangled spirits this week.

As always, please don’t forget to send your thoughts about our stories or any other feedback to [email protected] for publication on our readers’ page.

Yours in defence of the truth that constantly evades politicians,

Sukasha

This story first appeared in our weekly Daily Maverick 168 newspaper, which is available countrywide for R29.