Way back from the early fifties, right into the late eighties, the fight for freedom was supported by the lofty ideals for a free and democratic country that was non racist and non sexist, where everyone, regardless of race or colour will enjoy equal opportunities and rights.
During the dawn of our transition into democracy we created a constitution that incorporated all the lofty ideals about democracy from our struggle for freedom into the constitution. After our constitution was adopted, we were the proud nation of one of the best and most just constitutions in the world, especially when it came to protecting and guarding the rights of citizens.
With our modern constitution, and a celebrity president like Madiba, we were the envy of the free world. Every leader and country that needed our moral support came running to our president for our help. We became the holy destination for countries that were battling for solutions for their troubled countries.
We enjoyed the respect of the major countries in the world and the rest of Africa as their moral compass.
Every country wanted to invest in our country, people from the rest of Africa saw our country as paradise and headed south in their millions through our porous borders. In a mere twenty five years, we have sunk so low that we have joined the rank and file of the pariah states of the world through insidious and rampant corruption in the ruling party from its party leaders, right down to its ordinary unruly members.
The ANC has become the cANCer party that has destroyed this country by its flagrant disregard for the constitution, the economy, the law and the general wellbeing of the citizens of this country. With a very few exceptions, every ministry and SOE was run by corrupt despots, who destroyed our country economically with absolute impunity because they enjoyed the support of a very corrupt leader.
In spite of all the evidence of corruption against several current ministers at the various commissions of inquiry, all these ministers carry on as if it is business as usual. Many of the party's disgraced ministers were re-elected by their equally corrupt members. When the ANC came into power, it stood on the shoulders of Madiba, a person who enjoyed a cult following for his honesty and sincerity to do good.
The party had such great support at the time that no other party stood a chance to stand up against them, so they remained the majority party through default and not by performance. Almost 90% of ANC municipalities are bankrupt, which is a clear indication that the party knows little about administration and cares little about morality or honesty.
When one looks at the composition of the ANC at governmental level and employee level in SOEs, the party has become totally Africanised in spite of the false claim that they are a free and democratic party. The high murder rate, the exponential growth of gangs and drug addiction in the Western Cape is because of the absolute exclusion of coloured people from government jobs and a total lack of investment in the Western Cape by big businesses to create the much needed jobs for the coloured people in the Western and Eastern Cape.
Jimmy Mane, when he was the spokesperson for the ANC, incurred the wrath of Trevor Manuel, when he flippantly said that the Western Cape has too many coloureds and that they should move to the rest of the country. Mane's idea was to dilute the Western Cape so that his corrupt ANC could take over the Western Cape to loot it. How ironic, that this biggot and racist became one of the Guptas biggest lackeys alongside people like Magashule and Malusi Gigaba.
Zuma, as head of his party almost sold South Africa to the Guptas and anyone who dared to oppose him was given the chop. Not even the ANCs veteran, integrity committee or seniors could stop the dictatorial callous Zuma from destroying the country. The late Mr Ahmed Kathrada even failed to stop Zuma. Mothlante made a feeble attempt to challenge him but he too got the boot. Zuma went on record to say that the ANC came before the country because he knew that being in the ANC was the only way to enrich him, his families and all his cronies, in spite of him going on public platforms to profess how much he cares for the country.
Mbeki, stood on the sidelines and saw the rot taking place and enjoyed the mockery his arch nemesis, Zuma, was subjected to by a recalcitrant and equally corrupt Malema. Mbeki, as a staunch member of the ANC, even offered Malema an audience and advice before the last election. Clearly the ANC had reached a point when a number if its prominent senior members were scoring own goals in the party. Mothlante went on air, as an ANC member, to say to listeners to vote the ANC out to teach them a lesson. No wonder, why the opposition doesn't need to campaign much in this current election.
We have reached a point where the ruling party is so corrupt from top to bottom, that it is beyond redemption. Even an astute and visionary leader like Ramaphosa, who does not have much mass support from the rank file of his party cannot save the party or turn it into a honest party for the future. Parties like the ANC, who lose their moral compass, will suffer the demise that they deserve for the future wellbeing of our beautiful country.
A coalition government, with all its shortcomings, would be far better than one corrupt ANC, who in a mere 25 years destroyed our country, economically, to the brink of junk status and has tacitly and sometimes blatantly divided our country along racial and factional lines with their unstoppable corruption and obtuse Africanization of government departments
If the ANC remains in power, with its current ideology, then it will be fostering the idea of cessation of provinces like the Western Cape, because minorities can no longer be expected to accept exclusion from the main stream economy lying down. This has been the case throughout the world, where minorities are neglected. Finally, if we still espouse the noble dream of a non racist, honest democratic country then parties like the ANC and EFF are hardly the parties to achieve such a dream. We can vote for parties to stymie the size of these parties or face imminent doom and chaos.
Dr Ellapen Rapiti is a family physician, specialising in child and mental health and addiction counselling.