We need to make water investment a priority
The three-day summit which sees the African Union promote the Continental Africa Water Investment Programme.
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The Citizen
43 minutes ago
- The Citizen
Ramaphosa government's failure is real cause of SA's crisis
The government has hollowed out South Africa's industries, ignored citizens' needs, and aligned with pariah states while SA crumbles. It is disingenuous of the government's majority party to attribute failure to any specific economic, minority or racial group. Failure in South Africa can be attributed to a single author: the government of President Cyril Ramaphosa itself. For almost 10 years, it has mismanaged every aspect of our country and economy. It has shattered the hopes and dreams of the nation and awakened an anger long since believed gone. But the anger is real and growing. Our world leading industries have been reduced to fiascos as a result of government intervention. Our defence industry, manufacturing industries, energy sector, transport industry and many others are all now hollowed out shells of what they once were. Yet, as the smallest and most insignificant member of the Brics Plus alliance, our leaders attempt to position themselves as world leaders with power and influence. They level threats at major international powers as though they are able to back up their threats. But they are not. The government has denuded the state of all of its power. Credible influence requires real power – something the government apparently fails to understand. And power is not just given. It is earned and then it ought to be cherished. Instead, the government uses what little power it has left to abuse and ignore the will of the people. Instead, it values illegal foreigners more than it does its own people. The government's reliance on its alliance partners to loan money we cannot afford or will ever be able to repay is shocking. And like a mafia organisation, it spends that money on its faction and not the people. ALSO READ: When voters choose chaos over change The ANC likes to boast that it single-handedly 'won the war' against the pre-1994 regime. It did not, and it failed to win the peace. Instead, it destroyed the peace that was given to it and plunged the country into desperation, disunity and despair. It loves to selectively quote some ideologues and liberation movement leaders, but it is unable to put any of the quotes it throws around into any semblance of positive action. It forgot the words of Nelson Mandela: 'If the ANC does to you what the apartheid government did to you, then you must do to the ANC what you did to the apartheid government.' The people have not forgotten these words. ANC ministers have continually ignored, humiliated and marginalised the citizens in their greedy and corrupt quest for self-enrichment. But no nation is as dangerous as one that has been humiliated. The country does not need another costly and time-consuming National Dialogue to tell us what is wrong. It is just another unaccountable hoax to deflect from failure – and add more money into the pockets of his faction and his cadres. We all know what is wrong but we need a government that has the drive and will to fix what it broke and continues breaking. Our government has neither the drive nor the will to fix anything. It makes dehumanising and slanderous racist remarks about minority groups and then organises marches against racism. ALSO READ: Local government has become graft warzone It devises ways to chase away businessmen and those who feel threatened by the total collapse of law and order. And then it criticises people of all races for fleeing to safer lands. It supports states that sponsor terrorism in Africa and then argues it wants to bring about peace. Instead, it proves that it supports pariah state-sponsored terrorism in Africa where the victims are predominantly black. It aligns with terror-sponsoring and narco-states in its quest to sacrifice the people for its greed-based ideology. It has no care for the human rights of its own citizens. Instead, it is prepared to throw us to the wolves as long as it can remain in power and steal and bribe its way into riches. The government claims it is nonaligned and supports the human rights of people everywhere. But it does not practise what it preaches and the international community has taken note of its duplicity. Our people are denied the 15 basic human rights as determined by the South African Human Rights Commission: the right to equality, human dignity, life, freedom of security, and the list goes on. It is said that people get the government they vote for. And although we voted, we did not vote for the government's blame game and failures. If the government refuses to govern for the people, we must take action as citizens of South Africa. NOW READ: The credibility of the National Dialogue is at stake
TimesLIVE
an hour ago
- TimesLIVE
The recalibration of the majority: it's not the size that matters
Smaller political parties, with the potential to earn between 10% and 15% of the vote, are set to play a crucial role in shaping the new South African governing majority in all spheres of government in the not-too-distant future at the 257 municipalities. Those with 20% and above will have the power to influence the cadence of coalition arrangements, empowering them to shape the future of South Africa's political landscape. The era of one dominant political party is fast becoming history. Unless there are drastic institutional changes in the ANC, which has been the historical dominant majority party for the past 30 years, the projections of it polling below 40% overall in the 2026 local government elections and below 30% in the national and provincial elections are not far-fetched. Yet for that not to happen, something else must come first: recognition that the glory days of the past three decades can only be resurrected by its commitment to be a party of South Africans, not its members. Consolidating a multiparty democratic order with diffuse nodes of influence would require political parties to raise a personality to hold these nodes together. It is no secret that the GNU, at its establishment and arguably to date, is held together by a consensus on President Cyril Ramaphosa as the personality around whom everyone wants to pivot. The fragility of the GNU is centred on the tolerance, accommodation and acceptance of Ramaphosa's unique consensus-seeking leadership style. The current coalition arrangements are based on the consensus of a nonracial establishment deep in the endeavour to create political stability that does not disrupt the post-1996 status quo or constitutional order. Political parties in parliament and wannabes outside the system will henceforth be beholden to the personalities they proffer as a leadership value proposition to the nation.
Eyewitness News
10 hours ago
- Eyewitness News
Presidency: Ramaphosa, Mbeki's relationship remains 'cordial' despite National Dialogue differences
JOHANNESBURG - The Presidency said the relationship between Cyril Ramaphosa and former statesman Thabo Mbeki remains 'cordial' despite disagreements over the National Dialogue. Mbeki, through his foundation, has announced he will no longer be participating in the dialogue and has rejected an invitation to attend Friday's convention. The former president has for years been pushing for a National Dialogue; however, he is now complaining that the event has been taken over by the government and is no longer led by citizens and civil society. At a media briefing in Pretoria on Thursday, Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said Ramaphosa respects and acknowledges all criticisms. 'One would have loved and it would have been great to have the former president there but if he is not there, he is not there. The reality is the show will go on and South Africans will continue with the dialogue process and hopefully at some point, not only the Thabo Mbeki foundation but also other foundations will find it among themselves to participate in the process.'
