A majority is good enough

Zachie, I couldn't agree more. You said it all! I doubt (without the 2/3) the other parties would oppose any ANC-afford to fight crime and corruption and delivery on their promises. It's the lack of 2/3 that creates progress and clean governance.

I would happily vote for an ANC led by Zackie Achmat. But right now the best thing we can do is to vote for an opposition party. A substantially reduced majority will send a clear message to our ruling party that they need to start thinking about service, rather than self.

I read Mr Achmat's opinion with interest. Obviously, in an election an integral part of the choices we make is a balancing act that we make. Seldom - and rightly so - do we have clear-cut choises, and incidentally Mr Achmat's point seems to emphasise that our democracy is stronger for our plurality. I do not know what Mr Achmat bases his vote on, and rightly so. However him being a public figure, there are some causes on whose mast he has nailed his colours so to speak. This may be absolutely not attributable to him, but a result of a persona the media has foisted on him. Based on this perception, right or wrong, I have come to identify Mr Achmat with the causes of Homosexuality (some years ago I read a piece he wrote on the Weekly Mail about his childhood as an adult molester) and that of the public policy response to HIV/AIDS through dissemination of Anti-Retroviral drugs. Obviously, inherent in any definition is an element of reductionism, so I expect that Mr Achmat might feel that my characterisation misses some points/vulgarises some points etc. I readily welcome correction in this regard. However my point has to do with the effussive endorsement of Mr Zuma (or Comrade Zuma as he calls him). I would have wished that part of his endorsement address Mr Zuma's reported incitement of violence against homosexuals (ooNgqingili as he calls them).

Zackie, your fight for ARV drugs was quite noble and I supported you in that.

Again I support the fact that the ANC does not need a 2/3 majority. In fact, the very fact that they had a 2/3 majority and still failed service delivery not only makes it clear they do not need a 2/3 thirds majority but does not deserve to be in government at all!

These people are arrogant and inept. I am sorry to say, ANYBODY actually voting for this corrupt inept lot, probably has an IQ of 3.

I cannot understand why anybody with a degree of intelligence would still for the ANC? Seriously! It baffles me.

Zackie, I believe you have just lost all credibility.

the anc need a 2/3rds or so majority so that they can continue to not deliver services. essentially the only place and time where they have provided anything approximating service delivery is in places where they can be voted out of power.

also, i would posit that much of the service delivery which has happened was because some mid-level bureaucrats, the kind that doesn't get rich from bee deals or any kind of high-flyer, steered projects to the places where they grew up. while the bee rich people might have benefited financially, most of the south african public did not.

south africa is such a crony capitalist state that it's a shame that their platform is so lofty and honorable: the level of incompetence and corruption all but nullify any stated goals it may hve.

i can't vote here, but i'm holding my breath over the whole thing. but yes, i concur that a simple majority would be enough. it would come across as a major chastising of the anc if they got such a small amount. even more effective would be the necessity of a coalition with another party, such as the acdp or azapo [more likely]. with the coalition partner holding the lumbering anc's feet to the fire, then perhaps more will be being seen to get done.

or, conversely, the anc an cleave again, and the sacp becomes a political party in its own right. sacp + pac + azapo could, in 5 or 10 years, lay the foundation to fix everything, and the business-y bits of the anc could take over again later on leading the revitalized nation into the rest of the world.

I have always admired you sir for your courage in speaking your mind and I agree with a lot of what you have written above, but I'm inclined to ask why you are not more blunt regarding Jacob Zuma in your comments about corruption and HIV? How much damage has been caused by the corruption allegations hanging over Zuma's head and more important to your own cause, the massive step backwards the whole fight against AIDS has taken because of the comments made and lifestyle led by our next president?

A brilliant article, I trust that many thousands will read it. It makes one realize the enormous differences, possibilities and hope we would all have when a leader such as yourself with your values, principles and drive is eventually elected President of the Republic. Lets hope this happens in our lifetime.

With a person like Zackie Achmat on board to help kick butt within the ANC, things are only looking up w.r.t. accountability!

The ANC will be surprised at how many people, who are put off by party politics, remain passionately interested in pitching in wherever they can to make our society work. But alas, the evidence shows that after election victory and the honeymoon phase, expectations drop, the suspicion of independent thinkers resurfaces, careerists battle it out for positions and the poor must wait a little longer.

How I wish things were different, how I wish we all had a real stake, even if we don't wish to be cadres of any party but simply a member of the human race.

A Dreamer

... and one more reason our democracy is in trouble.

There is solid evidence that on more than one occasion ANC officials (wearing ANC T-shirts) handed out government sponsored food parcels to the rural poor.

The problem is that ...
* this undermines the very fabric of democracy
* R500 million of taxpayer money set aside for softening the blow of the world recession is used to buy food parcels for ANC electioneering
* the IEC does nothing
* the ANC felt no need to comment let alone justify their actions
* although it seems a silly thing, when these small acts of buying votes go unchecked we are headed for greater acts of voter intimidation, violence and stealing elections (not in 2009 but shortly)

Hamba Kahle democracy, you were a good friend and it's sad to see you go.

Threre's a really good reason for the anc's decline in majority...it has become morally decrepit, overtly corrupt and arrogant to say the least, where its leaders care not for the plight of the poor and desperate, but you go ahead and do the politically correct thing, those of us who stand for honesty, decency and the interests of the poor don't give a damn! welcome to the post revolution revolution...viva for the goodhearted, principled people in SA cos' it sure as hell ain't the anc!

They've had the power and they have abused it to a progressively greater degree, so they no longer deserve it. They need to be reminded of this and the way to do this is to vote for the opposition party which you find least distasteful.

It's a sad state of affairs and I muse about what Mandela may really think about the fate of the lofty ideals he spoke of so eloquently when he became president.

Totally illogical. The trend is sad, Apartheid cannot really be blamed for that as the trend did not exist at that stage. Yet you still support the ANC. The education problem (for example) is actually a creation of the ANC's rule, and nothing else. I have proof of it. So I cannot understand your illogical choice.

COPE and ANC divided my family, It is longer a secret that I was interested in COPE policies especially Health related policies. I met COPE Youth leaders privately in trying to assist the organization to put people living with HIV first in their agenda and I have managed to mobilize high profile HIV&AIDS activists to assist Congress of the People but failed materialized. All my influences failed because people were not ready to accept HIV&AIDS as part of their lives or programmes. When I looked back at home my wife was doing the opposite and encouraging people to cope with ANC. COPE and ANC created tensions in my house. There were times where ZUMA and Lekota were not making sense on national TV not to mention Helen Zille. It was always about scorpions, NPA and HIV&AIDS poverty was not on agenda including the last SABC 2 debates on the 19th of April 2009.

I am not a failure because I wanted political parties to speak out on issues such as HIV especially on stigma and violence against women and children. Fortunately a close friend Thamy Ka Plaajtie promised to take HIV&AIDS as one of the programmes for Pan Africanist Movement (PAM) and he never asked me to vote or join PAM and surely he is not hungry for power. When I read the PAM manifesto, I was so impressed and happy that finally some political parties do take AIDS as South Africa’s social time bomb. Thank you Pan Africanist Movement I hope you will make it maAfrica.

After serious consideration I have decided to follow my wife and rejoin the ANC and fortunately I grew up in the ANC. My house is warm again and I have no regrets, my family comes first. When I was intimidated and receiving death threats from unknown people only the ANC people come to my house and promised to assist in the investigation. In February I was (admitted) in Grey Monument Hospital in King Williams Town after serous illness at home and only the ANCYL members such as Viwe Sidali phoned to check whether I was recovering well in Hospital.

I decided not to be active in party politics for now for the sake of my voluntary work and for the sake of peace in my own family. But I am going to vote for the ANC because ANC cares about people especially people living with chronic illnesses and ANC promised to provide Anti-Retroviral treatment and my wife love the ANC.



Mbulelo Dyasi

Human Rights & AIDS Activist

Write in his personal capacity as South African Citizen

Well said cde.Zackie, that's the spirit of a revolutionary. We must keep on engaging the movement from within,this is a good example that you don't have to form a new political party to engage the ANC from within.
It is also testament that the rumblings by Lekota et al that they left the movement because they exhausted all avenues of engagement were self serving and not the real portrayal of the truth.
Well done Zackie!!

As I said before Zackie, YOU should be running for president.

I too am curious as to why a simple majority, which is what I think the ANC get this election, isn't good enough. Mbeki's screwups and tackling the SA's urgent problems can be achieved without any change to the constitution. It will however, entail listening to opposition parties and negotiating. Maybe its time the ANC will not be so arrogant, brush up on its negotiating skills and learn to be part of the world community of democracies.

To expand on your points on crime: It still seems to me that majority within the ANC still too short-sighted to understand that crime as its topmost priority. Without controlling crime, any other progress is just temporary. Unlike a civil war, where we are plunged into the hot water, crime in SA is like a low-grade war where the water is temprature of the water is turned up ever so slightly each time so we gradually adjust to the increasing heat. This cynicism is what keep the ANC paying lip service to crime. The result however, is the same - hot water!

I can't believe that Zachie is at again. He is an ANC cadre through and through! Criticism for the sake of being different is boring. He had a serious problem with the Mbeki GVT for obvious reasons and that was understood! But what I can't seem to understand is why he would want to have a gripe with the new ANC now too?

Is it because he is so used to being in opposition and grumbling all the time? or he is just seeking attention? If a person has such serious problems with a Party he belongs to, why doesn't he just leave or discuss his issues internally as is the case with other ANC cadres?

My criticism does not deal with the merits or demerits of his column or arguments. But I reckon he can not have his cake and eat it!

"With this endorsement and vote..."

If you'd like the ANC to win but with a small majority, not 2/3, then surely you must vote against them, not for them?

You don't have to publicly support a particular opposition party, but if you want to see the ANC's majority clipped, then please put your cross in another box! There's no danger that they'll lose the majority, but whether they'll get 55% or 70% is wide open, and it is on this choice that you get to vote.

I liked the article but can't believe you reached the conclusion that you should give them your vote. There's no shame in wishing that your best friend wouldn't take over so completely at parties. In the privacy of the booth you can make things better.

Dear Mr Achmet,

Please keep this article safely filed. You will need to post it again in 2014, and then again in 2019, and then again in 2024, after you have returned the ANC to power again ... and again ... and again.

Of course I might be wrong ... perhaps by then you will have fled this country in horror, along with a few million others who will look back and think "how did we let this happen??"

Zachie I'm amazed that one as caring as you would vote ANC. The last ten years have been a disaster. What the country needs is for the ANC to get a snotklap so that they know they don't own the country. Accountability is key in a democracy. The threat that an MP can lose his job if he's incompetant is what makes the great democracies of the world tick. The best thing that could happen is for the ANC to be brought back down to size.

Really people, think long an hard about this. These are very important elections. Give your mandate to someone who'll deliver for you - not for themselves and their comrades.

Remind me, please: what's the racial make up of the ANCYL? And the COPE or DA YLs? Is this our future? Who's the racist party?

Good luck with your AIDS activism, Zachie, I really admire what you're doing, but I won't be following your endorsement. Sorry.

Burma, Zimbabwe, The Dalai Lama. This government embarrasses me on the world stage.

Zachie, you've hit a nerve, good on you, do it again and again. Great responses to your post. Keep on truckin, as they say where I come from.

Zackie had fought for gay rights and HIV most of his life whilst the ANC had to be dragged to court to roll out life-saving ARV's to Aids patients and then again to legalise same-sex marriage. Millions of lifes were lost due to the HIV/AIDA denial that was driving the ANC. I'm not even mentioning the homophobic Zuma who's face Achmat will be making an x next to on Wednesday.

As a homosexual with HIV I will no longer endorse Zackie Achmat! I will also distance myself with any possible volunteer work I was considered doing for the TAC.

It seems Archbishop Tutu is the only public figure who has been willing to distance himself from the failing ANC - however effecting the consequences might be.

Zackie, do yourself a favour and give weight to your criticisms of the ANC by voting for another party.

I'm lost for words. This is true ANC logic I'm afraid. To say you don't want the 2/3 and then state you will vote for them anyway? And people actually praise you for this.

Good article.
But!
Let's not get carried away with this whole process by calling it an election.
All it amounts to is a racial census and this will remain so for a long time to come.
If this is democracy then it is African democracy - not a truly multi-party democracy as seen in the West.
And that is good enough, let the ANC rule for I see a glimmer of hope with the demise of Mbeki 'the phantast' and the emergence of a man of the people who is nothing less but also nothing more than a symbol.

The worst thing right now would be for the ANC to feel threatened for they are quite prepared to take us all down in the interest of maintaining power.

The 'opposition' will be the media and the individual and people like yourself who work from inside for change and perhaps that is the best we can hope for.
Sterkte...

Michael Kretschmer you scorn and look down on 'our' democracy and calling it 'African democracy' and praising the West for its brand of democracy as if though it is supreme and right. And yet, America is struggling to dismantle it Gautanomo Bay camps, its Patriot Act is so horribly that it takes awat civil liberties of its own citizens and they are sitting with a major health system that denies citizens dignity and a right to health and basic services. These are the things the current Obama administration must now deal with and rectify. A few years ago, we saw the vote rigging in the States and no one said anything about it being fair, etc. Democracy Michael is a selective term used by the likes of the DA and others.

Speak to the issues raised in Zackie article. Many ANC members, lapsed and otherwise still free strongly that its the only vehicel for change and having to deal with the disparities in our country. We need to deal with economic equalities and redress and yet people think that 15 years is and should be the yardstick and wave your magic wand and all things bright and beautiful...

Wake up Michael and rather start rebuilding this country (not saying join the ANC) instead of criticising and or threathening to leave because things will get ugly.

If Black people were so vengeful, then this would have been a very dirrent country. We could've taken revenge but instead, we embraced the Mandela and the ANC position of reconciliation and forgive. That is much to be thankful for.

Mr Zakie

I must commend you with the realistic view that ou have taken on the current state of affairs of our Country....You are unafraid of speaking your mind!Let us hope that you will apply your ample energies to remeding the problems you have described on your article.

I must however politely point out that your logic again is flawed...I support no party and believe that the best party for the job is the one willing to do the most to see our nation collectively succeed. As your logic flowed it would logical to assume that those who have tried and failed, on more then one occasion, will not succeed no matter how many tries you give them if they remain unchanged.

If I understand you correctly a 2/3 majority was had and did not solve many of our problems. What you are therefore endorsing is the same people, with the same agenda and structures (Zuma's allies are all "Stalwarts" to use the parlance) will yield different results this time. I find it odd that a man of your brilliance can believe this infantile logic. Hope my friend is not a strategy. The same idiots in charge, regardless of their majority will continue to ensure that the masses continue to starve, die of preventable diseases and live in perpetual fear of criminals. The fact that you continue to endorse the party that has brought us to the point where life expectancy is close to where it was in the middle ages is terrifying. Your ANC will win. Poor black people will continue to die younger and younger, and you, a member of the political elite will continue to treat us voters like idiots. The ANC has managed to kill more black people though its policies than all the years of apartheid rule without firing a shot. That is a scary sick fact. The tragedy is that you will still vote for them. Good luck.

many good people tried to change ZANU from within too........

If the tree is rotton, then so will be the fruit.

Liberation movements do not great governments make. Sorry ANC, your contribution to SA history is complete (positive contribution at least). Now either you will be removed at the ballot box within next few elections, or we will head into the Zim abyss.

I'm amazed that after 50 odd examples of what doesn't work in Africa, we in SA are largely (50%-60% of population at least) happy to follow the trend, rather than try stand out as an African success story, and buck the trend. Shame shame......

just as we try understand why our parents supported the Nats, our children will ask us why we gave the ANC so much power too.....we are creating our very own Zim.