Ahead of election, ANC's story not such good one

AS someone who has been following the politics of the country, I truly do not agree with the ANC statement of it having a "good story to tell". The Polokwane 2007 ANC election conference, where Thabo Mbeki was removed as the president of the party, is when and where South Africa faced political transformation and leadership transformation.

The ANC in Polokwane created a monster, clearly not knowing that the monster would eat it first.

Is the ANC electing Jacob Zuma also part of its good story to tell? Is the security upgrade for the president also its good story to tell?

Is the reshuffling of the ministers also part of its good story to tell? The additional ministers are costing the taxpayers.

President Nelson Mandela in his 1994 cabinet had 42 ministers and Mbeki in his 1999 cabinet had 41 ministers. After the general elections of 2009, Zuma appointed 67 ministers

Let us not be blinded by this myth of the 20-year review. How long will it take for us as the nation to see that the ANC has failed not once or twice but several times?

Service delivery protests have intensified. There wouldn't be protests if the citizens were clearly satisfied with the level of service they've received.

It is not a good thing for the country to see citizens embarking on violent protests. It just sends a negative image to the outside world.

How is it possible that we've lost more than one million jobs, while the president in his first state of the nation address promised to create those one million jobs? In that sense the unemployment rate has increased.

Zuma took office during the 2009 recession, but still he failed to maintain the economy.

Looking at the failure to fund students through NSFAS, what has the ANC done about that? Failing to fund the students will result in increased numbers of university dropouts, increasing the number of unemployed youth and the higher number of unemployed youth will increase the crime rate.

According to the auditor-general, yearly there's a minimum amount of R22-billion gone missing under the Zuma administration.

Let me not forget the issue of tribalism. That is one of the problematic issues that perpetuate corruption.

I regard the ministers from KwaZulu-Natal as "loyal friends of JZ". If it wasn't for them JZ wouldn't have been elected president of the ANC.

Just before the 2009 elections Zuma was in and out of the courts for his rape and corruption cases, but he was never found guilty on any of those charges. But his dear good friend, Schabir Shaik, was sentenced though he didn't even finish his sentence. Shortly after Zuma was elected Shaik was released.

There is also the issue of the appointment of Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng.

Let's just brace ourselves for another five years of corruption and ignorant politicians who believe that by empowering their own family and empowering themselves, South Africa has a good story to tell. Let's use Nkandla as a practical example.

Since when now has a vote of no confidence brought against the president been regarded as "unconstitutional"?

Zamuxolo Nduna, political science student at NMMU