The power of the poor

I would like to express my sincere concern to our new President who will reap what he has sown so freely.
He will need it from everyone after 9th May.
Who would want his life of meeting all his promises and the repercussions.
The poor majority are not submissive - they are desperate and will take desperate measures. I, for one, will not condemn their actions.
President Zuma and the ANC have created a Frankenstein Monster, who are justifiably tired of "undelivered promises."

Zuma is the solution for the poor people in the rural area and i do think he will deliver. but if ANC fail it will still dominate in rural areas because change for many people is not good.

It will be interesting to see how the majority of South Africa's electorate will vote if Zuma doesn't deliver on his promises. Let down by an elitist ANC under Mbeki, and then by a grassroots ANC under Zuma.

I believe they will be let down. We will all be let down. The new ANC dispensation seems not to have the vaguest idea that the policies they advocate at the top are ignored or manipulated from the middle management structures downward. A sad story of greed, apathy and fear.

Please oh please can we find a decent opposition that is keen to tell the electorate about their own policies - and not everyone else's.

Excellent article and summation of our current situation. What I am hoping that in the event of Zuma not living up to his promises, which is likely, COPE and the DA can give their areas good service delivery and move our vote away from race.

Education and all that: what is it for; for me, for you or for all?

The constituency of the poor is the only one that counts in SA. Strange how the educated moneyed class cannot see this. See the question above.

Until they do SA is in trouble, but better in the hands of even a Zuma than try for white Die Pee or failed missionaries who cannot cope----which are one and the same really.

The the media generally in the hands of the latter polyglot greed is failing SA by not getting it. It is in the trickle down mentality, which is simply excruciatingly obviously another way of saying Me First.
My fond hope is that the Mail and Guardian is well poised. My recognition is that it has not seen the way. It should get rid of The Guardian connection.

Excellent excellent excellent article. Thank you!

"William Gumede is author of Thabo Mbeki and the Battle for the Soul of the ANC"

I just needed to check.

Now I understand your commentry, CLEARLY.

I wonder what other choices black South Africans have to vote for.

1.DA? A party that stems from the apartheid era - fought the good fight against apartheid while benefiting from the rewards? They've taken the place of the 1994 National Party in the Western Cape, appealing to the same coloured vote and white vote.
2.COPE? Whose roots are firmly planted in Mbeki's pro-business, bugger the poor government style?
3.ID? Patricia de Lille will get into bed with the DA who she claims still has a "baasskap" mentality?

To say that the ANC have not delivered any promises is ridiculous and totally takes away credibility from this article.

How many black people received a pension or grant, RDP house, running water, electricity, etc. pre-1994? How many white people received higher old age pensions than non-whites?

If opposition parties want to get in bed with the DA, just to oppose the ANC, then the ANC surely will rule till Jesus comes.

Talking about the power of the poor, the first challenge for Zuma is to keep the swine flu virus out of the shores of South Africa. With millions of poor AIDS patients with their immunosuppressed condition are highly vulnerable to the fatal consequences of this flu virus which has killed over 80 infected persons. Zuma needs to restrict travel, quarantine persons traveling from the affected areas and ensure a stockpile of treatment to treat at least a million South Africans if things get out of hand. The Zulu Zuma era is about to begin and I hope it is a good one for the masses of ZA/South Africa who have shown full confidence in his leadership.

Today is Freedom from Electricity Day in Westdene, to usher in the new era of Zuma non-delivery

I hope you are not deliberately insulting the intelligence of the poor people. Most people I spoke to, who are poor and uneducated showed clearly to me that they are more clever than perceived by the political analysts. And they did not necessarily vote with their stomachs.

I also know a lot of the so called elite who worked hard to make sure that the ANC wins these elections.

One thing I agree with you on, is that the ANC has to deliver this time round. I also believe that the ANC is in a better position to do just that. These are desperate times and it is a do or die situation for the ANC. This is good enough to propel any organisation into high gear and deliver.

In my opinion South Africa has reached a cross road. We must decide now if we want to help rebuild this country, or help destroy it.
I hope the majority will choose to help rebuild the country and few will do what they do best, destroy.

To the ANC, South Africa needs improved racial relations more now than ever. I urge Mr Zuma to continue charming the minorities and make them feel at home.
South Africa needs peace, jobs, and better life for all.
The era of arrogance and infighting is over. The majority I have spoken to agree that this is your last chance. Please use this chance wisely.

It is known that the vast majority of people who casted their votes in favour of the ANC are the poor, and the vast majority rural poor. It is now up to the ruling party to take the electorate serious and deliver on basic services. We surely do not expect service delivery protests this time around. The heart of service delivery is within the local government and the new administration should really keep a watchful eye on that level of government. The NEC should consider the speech of Trevor Manuel seriously. Municipal Officers are spending a lot of money that can be utilised for service delivery undertaking trips overseas that are not meant at sharpening their skills or leaning best practices. There should be strict control of Municipal Officers undertaking overseas travel. The new Minister of Local Government should really shape this level of Government up.It is very much worrying to note events in North-West where the municipality spend a lot of money on sporting at the expense of basic services.

Municipalities are spending a lot of money on Private Law firms either on disciplinary processes or drafting of by-laws. The Office of the Chief State Law Adviser is available to render these services for free to all municiplities.

Weak municipal administration will surely affect the implementation of manifesto of the ANC.

Modise J Molekoa, Lephalale

Election time is about the only time that the poor have some power ... with their vote.

The rest of the time they stay where they are ... poor.

A politician once made a statement - "The poor will always be with us".

If the poor are so intelligent, why do they vote for a chameleon. The colors and blame will just keep changing. The Action will be nothing more than a lot of erratic directionless progress. *Sigh* I long for a day of position through merit. This is unfortunately what the poor can relate to the most, lack of achievement. Which is what becoming president in South Africa now equates to, a moral void. I will personally kiss zuma's feet if he delivers. Or even if his blinkered cultists and the ANC hold him to task for non delivery.

Unfortunately, 2009 may turn out to be the year you wished you had LOST the elections. Both Obama and Zuma may discover that the economy won't let them fulfil ANY of their campaign promises. A tough five years lies ahead, and the temptation to become autocratic in the face of unrest will test these two men severely.

Very soon Obama is likely to find out he has thrown away billions in "bailout" money - it will simply have "vanished" - most stolen by kleptocrats. And Zuma will find the golden years Mbeki wasted have ended and his coffers will be bare, his promises to all and sundry unfulfil-able.

Hey, I also hope I'm wrong!

If we had to level the playing field (eg me write and speak in Setswana etc) and speak honestly we would accept that South African politics can not be articulated and interpreted like we would those of the UK or France the US etc. The Black populace of this country is trapped in a discussion with which they have nothing to do. The discussion is about narrow White fears and interest. The Black majority is now and again - is the word intermittently? - conveniently used to address these narrow White interests. Interestingly, the White party DA, is being benchmarked on how many Black voters it will garner to addres this agenda. Everything is set. The media, business and even some powerful institutions abroad are ready to ensure the articulation of these narrow interests. That is the only reason Zimbabwe is and will ever be in the news. If there were no White people in this country after 1994, we would have a much progressive political intercourse and dialogue. In other words, if the DA where to address South African needs, the majority of which is Black, they would suddenly sound very relevant and would cease to be seen as a White protectionist party.
As for Mervin Gumede, the differentiator cannot be his Blackness as to give credence to his obnoxious and opportunistic literature that he cannot be racist because he is Black. What about downright empty! What is he saying? Are we going to be exposed to this litany of baseless assumptions and lies simply because someone is trying to sound 'sophisticated and relevant' to the White masters who pay for his books? Till when are we going to be rubbished by those who, after benefiting from the policies of our 'corrupt and non-delivering' goverments, go on and become agents of bad mouthing the very institutions? They say we vote out of blind loyalty. What is blind loyalty? Our rejection of tacit racism and unequality? Our rejection of people who refuse to become part of our country with the constant referals to 'brain-drains', 'standards', etc? Our rejection of people who make a big noise about crime and yet reject affirmtive action and BEE? Our rejection people who look down on us, the Black majority as they refuse to participate in this democracy, except to make sure they 'Stop Zuma' or ' fight back', they refuse to speak our languages - after how long they have stayed here, they suffocate our people on the farms and rural areas?
Mervyn Gumede has to be proud of himself. Anything to pay the bills? Is that what this punditry has come to?

Sies!

To Edwin Matlapeng thank you so much for your comment. Finally someone says something I can identify with. I am part of the 'poor majority' of this country and I honestly applaud you Mr. Matlapeng for your comment, please share more of your insights on some of the political posts that M&G puts on this webiste.