The African National Congress (ANC) is a true liberation party which brought about majority rule, democracy, respect for the rule of law and human rights in South Africa and ended the apartheid regime in that country.
As a Namibian interested in South African politics, I believe what the ANC has done and continues to do in South Africa should be commended, as it has lifted a lot of people from squalor and hopelessness. The ANC has brought real independence, dignity and a sense of hope to many South Africans, in particular those who were oppressed and lived under the bad and inhumane laws of segregation and apartheid.
We should applaud the leaders who have led South Africa since Freedom Day in 1994. More so we should appreciate the good job being carried out by President Cyril Ramaphosa. Since his inauguration Ramaphosa has introduced tangible interventions to the problems of the masses and will continue to do so after re-election in May 2019. He has pursued national policies of unity and economic inclusion of all South Africans irrespective of their colour, creed or party affiliation.
Internationally, the President has promoted South Africa as a stable and preferred destination for foreign direct investment. Indeed, investors have responded and investments in the country have recorded good numbers that are contributing to the expected positive economic growth this year. Moreover, the President has fostered relations with various countries in the world and ensured South Africa’s respect in regional and international organisations. For example, South Africa hosted, among others, a successful 2018 BRICS Summit in Johannesburg, attended by all BRICS Heads of State and Government, which consolidated South Africa’s growing influence in international affairs.
All these efforts cannot be compared to the destructive nature of the opposition parties in South Africa, who just criticize the ANC-led government, without providing alternative policies. The main opposition, the Democratic Alliance cannot be trusted and cannot be entrusted with the mantle to rule South Africa.
In any case they will not win because of their regressive politics, which is aimed at bringing back the old ways of running a government, and at worst, as other analysts have surmised, that the DA will bring back white minority rule. The fact is that the DA has overwhelming support from white South Africans, which would entail that their ambition is to return to white minority rule.
Moreover, it is important to recall that the DA challenged the disclosure of party funding. They opposed the Party Funding Bill, which was signed into law by Ramaphosa, in January this year. That DA opposition to a Bill, which calls for party funding transparency, brings questions about the DA’s source of funding. It is therefore plausible, as widely believed, that the party receives funding from actors outside South Africa, who have vested interests in returning the country to white minority rule. The recent xenophobic attacks in South Africa could be attributed to foreign influence associated with the DA aimed at confusing the supporters of the ANC, weakening support for the ANC and create a bad impression for the South African Government.
We should note that the ANC welcomed the Party Funding Bill, releasing a statement that “We are encouraged that this law is a practical expression of ANC’s unwavering commitment to the constitutional values of fairness, equity, accountability and transparency. We have no doubt that this law provides the country with an opportunity to deepen our democracy and usher in a new culture of transparent funding for political parties.”
The ANC deserves credit and praise for this support of transparency.
I should point out that South Africans are wise enough to know the different interests of the parties and I wish to implore on them to vote for the ANC in order to ensure economic growth and political stability in South Africa and the SADC region as a whole. SADC countries, including Namibia have a very close and historical relationship with South Africa, hence we have vested interest in the upcoming elections in South Africa and remain hopeful that the ANC will win the elections overwhelmingly.
* Johannes Johannes