By Michael Marnewick*
Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream. His came at a particularly explosive time in American racial relations while mine, at the beginning of a potentially tumultuous 2017, is just as desperate.
But positive too.
I like to think mine is less a day-dream and more a gaze into a crystal ball with factual reality about to hit us.
2016 proved to be an annus horribilis in many ways, but so too, a kind of political and social Rubicon.
Yes, there were the despicable and unnecessary racially intolerant utterances by Penny Sparrow et al, but hopefully the consequences will lead others in 2017 to be a little more circumspect with the public statements of their racial biases. We need more social cohesion. This kind of hatred does nothing to ease us into peaceful coexistence.
On the political front, Jacob Zuma once more dodged every scud missile that came his way. He apologised for the way Nkandla was handled, but didn’t make a personal apology. He spent more time out of court and parliament than he should have, but continued to rely on the trough-feeders for his existence as Number one.
But at election time, those who feed those who bite their hands said enough is enough and gave the DA the chance to prove that actions speak louder than words. Already, there are signs after a few short months that the Tshwane, Jo’Burg and NMB Metros have made significant inroads to delivery and those on the fence may well side with delivery rather than empty promises in the next election.
The ANC has consistently shown the electorate the middle finger, but the emerging black middle class who wants more bang for their tax buck, have returned the favour at the voting polls. People no longer vote with their hearts.
Corruption is no longer something that can be tolerated and young voters, first timers who may have been traditional ANC voters have also seen through the ANC and don’t have the emotional attachment to a party that has been guilty of pillaging the nation. They see them as nothing more than thieves, and voted accordingly.
In 2017, the groundswell of discontent will continue. The DA will continue to grow in support as they deliver essential services that had often been halted because there were too many people employed to do too little work. It was all about cadre deployment and not about citizen benefits.
I am positive.
Not because I’m an idealist, but quite the opposite. South Africans of all races have had to fight for their lot in life; the majority against the odds. But we’re a nation of settlers, of warriors, of brave souls who arrived on our shores many years ago, determined to make a new life for themselves. Our people braved wars, famine, apartheid and institutionalised hatred.
The rainbow nation is no longer. The ANC has seen to that. And if we blame JZ for that, we should blame his inner circle even more. The ANC to them is more important than South Africa. 2017 will be a difficult, but exciting year as South Africans decide that enough is enough. That it is time to work together to rebuild our beautiful country.
There are enough brave people to do that.
- Michael Marnewick is a published author in the sports sphere with a recent change of direction in writing children’s books. His degree in psychology is a great help in his primary job (construction) and perhaps a little more in his second and third jobs (website content management and writing).
