Rudzani Floyd Musekwa: SA becoming laughing stock

Something is definitely happening in the South Africa whose sitting president has had the outgoing public protector find that he had his private residence partly funded by the taxpayers of this country, when they didn’t have to.

The Treasury has determined, rather to the chagrin of the majority of South Africans, that the president must pay just less than R8-million after almost R¼-billion was used to build additions to his private residence in Nkandla in rural KwaZulu-Natal.

The said residence has, among other things, a posh kraal for the president’s very special livestock as well as a spaza shop that was apparently worth the price of some really sleek houses in Sandton. But that’s not all.

This infamous residence is also home to the equally infamous fire pool that had Police Minister Nathi Nhleko sweat a whole pool as he tried, unsuccessfully, to explain to an attentive South Africa that wanted to understand what a fire pool actually was. We still don’t understand what it is because we forgot he even tried to explain it.

But that’s not all. We have what is happening at the country’s national/ public broadcaster in Auckland Park where journalists are being censored daily and if they don’t do as the guy without matric wishes, they jump or get pushed.

I am referring here to the public broadcaster because it ought to be the pride of the nation, but instead, like the office of the president of this country, it has since become the shame and laughing stock of the country. Not only is this sad and unnecessary, it’s unacceptable and if this isn’t stopped, we’ll wake up and this censorship will be all over the place.

In President Jacob Zuma and Hlaudi Motsoeneng we have two leaders who are not worthy of their titles because they have proven to be pathetic at their jobs, replacing leadership with dictatorship. In just days, the SABC has seen a senior presenter leave the station with no clear reason as to why, but then again who would want to be associated with a broadcaster that isn’t adhering to journalistic standards and principles.

This week also saw former acting chief executive officer Jimi Matthews part company with the Auckland Park national broadcaster. It is also believed that more and more people may follow as a form of solidarity with their former colleagues who are either being pushed or jumping the ailing ship.

These and other recent developments in our once promising country have tarnished a reputation of a country so respected worldwide.

Today it is an awkward thing to find oneself in the company of other nationalities because the biggest question that is hard to answer is: what went wrong with our once beautiful country?

That question a few years ago was posed to Zimbabweans, and it is very possible that we will get to the Zimbabwean level and it will not be nice. This will be the saddest thing in our not-so-young anymore democracy.

Is this what the giants of struggle like Anton Lembede, Nelson Mandela, Chris Hani, Robert Sobukwe and others died for? Are we letting a good thing die a sad death as we look on?

This comedy isn’t funny anymore and the sooner we realise that the better. The international community is starting to see us as just yet another possible failed African state. It doesn’t have to get there. As the people of South Africa we have the biggest voice and chance in the next few weeks as we shall get that opportunity to vote who we prefer to rule us on local government level. This is where it matters the most but also fails the most.

The time of nostalgia has come to an end. We cannot afford to put in power the people who don’t want to account to us, but basically just do as they want.

We have to put a stop to a system that is rotten, and find new ways and people that we can trust. The ruling party has failed the people of South Africa as it enriches a few who are connected to the right people and camps.

We need a party and people who will want to prove a point, that it is possible to care about people and work towards their upliftment instead of working towards enriching a few.

Let’s use August 3 effectively or live to regret not making the right decisions. It’s our lives and they matter.