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There is a third way — open letter to the many downtrodden and disappointed ANC voters

5 Dec 2023

We have seen the rapid emergence of single-issue parties, serving narrow bases, intent and determined to create a South Africa wrought with division because there can only be an ‘us’ when there is also a clearly identifiable ‘them’.

Finding a true political alternative in a fractured opposition is at the top of many South Africans’ minds, and for those who for the first time in a long time will not be voting for the ruling party. South Africans have a long and complex relationship with the ANC, however, were the ANC a person, the best way to describe this relationship would be “abusive”.

This is despite people like you and me continuously placing our trust in the ruling party, hoping it would one day self-correct as promised and put the country before the ANC. But they have instead continued to display a disdain for us, the people who have empowered them to govern. Despite what the pundits would say however, disaffected and disappointed ANC voters are not stupid; in fact, voters are far more considered than the commentators think.

Read more in Daily Maverick: ANC support plummets to 33%, but it is still likely to form a government next year, new study finds

The prevailing criticism of ANC voters is that supporters of the ruling party remained invested in it due to a blind nostalgia and thoughtless emotional bond to the party. But there’s far more to this — we know that for a very long time, the ANC was the sole occupant, last vestige and custodian of South Africa’s moral political centre.

We know that only the ANC espoused a commitment to inclusive and transformative politics, rooted in the belief that, in spite of our history, no one’s circumstances should doom them to a life devoid of dignity. That, in fact, because of our history, we should legislate the practice of lifting as we rise.

However, in the not-too-distant past, the once beloved liberation party simply stopped liberating. In an ongoing series of acts that violated the social and political contract that once existed between the ANC and its people, we have been forced to divorce and divest from this rotten shadow of a once-respected movement.

The existential political crisis we are seized by has been worsened by a fractured opposition that provided no real alternative. When we yearned for a political alternative with the potential to unite all South Africans behind the dream of a better life for all, not just for some — we came up empty.

Instead, we have seen the rapid emergence of single-issue parties, serving narrow bases, intent and determined to create a South Africa wrought with division because there can only be an “us” when there is also a clearly identifiable “them”.

These divisive actors have weaponised ethnicities, resulting in an upsurge of racial and ethnic nationalisms, and misguided and ill-informed xenophobia with corruption being the poisoned thread tying them all together.

Now, there is a third way — in that same sensible centre, there exists a new, inclusive political alternative working hard to build a new coalition with the people.

This way knows that if servant leadership and integrity do not exist at the root politics, then no amount of innovative policy will deliver the much-needed political overhaul desperately sought by South Africans. One led by individuals who possess the skills, experience and will to create a safe, prosperous, equal and united South Africa in a single generation — but at the risk of this being flagged as a marketing piece, I must now place my bias aside.

Instead, I implore you to subject those who court your vote to the following tests and assess their commitment to real, ground-up social, economic and political reforms.

A true political alternative must understand that well-being and the family, as the root of all the institutions in society and of individuals, must be the end that it works to achieve. It must ensure that care is rooted in the practice of all institutions in society, from government to civil society, business and politics.

It must demonstrate a true commitment to cultivating an involved citizenry, rooted in a willingness to be subjected to public accountability and scrutiny without waiting for sweeping electoral reforms and distant political shifts before answering to its stakeholders.

It must understand that core to South Africa’s success is a professionalised, capable but also a depoliticised public service that has the capacity to provide reliable and uninterrupted public goods to South Africans. It must place integrity and honesty at the centre of its governance.

The third pillar of any real alternative must be a commitment to the enabling of an economy that creates a shared prosperity where all South Africans are empowered with the necessary skills and are presented with opportunities to contribute to a South Africa where everyone benefits from the wealth of our country. A South Africa rooted in sound economic management and coherent policy to build a modern, sustainable, inclusive and competitive industrial and knowledge economy.

Finally, any purported alternative must acknowledge the importance of nation-building, rooted in the understanding of the strength of our diversity but also the challenges that come with it.

Such an alternative must understand the potential for national excellence to unite South Africans, and through its leadership, raise the standard of public leadership and give South Africans a shared national mission of pursuing excellence at all levels. DM

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