By 
The African National Congress in the Free State is playing a dangerous game with its voter confidence; at a time when the party is supposed to take a decisive stance on incompetence and corruption, it is handling the culprits with velvet cloves.
History is a good teacher, and the wise learn viable lessons. The 2024 national and provincial elections were a warning shot the liberation party to get its act together and be decisive on matters that affect communities and the economy in general. Polls showed that the ANC is fast becoming a rural party, unless drastic change is seen within the party and its works in government.
The ANC in the Free State on Thursday announced that it will redeploy six of its Mayors in the six mal-functioning municipalities. While this may come across as decisive, it is not enough. It does not help to shift an incompetent person from one position to the other, there is no real consequence; they are just shifting the incompetence to another position, they need to let the leaders go and open criminal cases where relevant.
In recent years, in Mangaung Metro in particular, the City was experiencing serious political instability. After ousting the then Executive Mayor Cllr Olly Mlamleli, the ANC moved the then Council Speaker Cllr Mxolisi Siyonzana, who was allegedly corrupt and involved in ghost workers scandals to the Executive Mayor position.
The question was also asked then, what difference is expected by moving an allegedly corrupt person from one position to another; no answer was given. Soon the municipality was riddled with protests, accusations of corrupt dealings in the Hauweng Bus line owned by the City. The current national SG of the ANC Cde Fikile Mbalula, who was Transport Minister then championed the investigation into the matter.
Mbalula went on an offensive attacking Siyonzana openly, even claiming that he is known within the ranks of the ANC, his work is not known and must go, and indeed, he did not finish his term.
My point is, if you are going to take action against corruption and incompetency, do it firmly. The time of ‘there is no dustbin for politicians’ is over, dump them. They are damaging the image of the party; they are a liability and are killing voter confidence. Municipalities are in shambles, there are potholes everywhere, and there is inconsistent supply of water and electricity.
The province is anything but repulsive to investors. As much as the provincial leadership is trying by all means to get investors into the province, this kind of neglect in municipalities is not helping. People want to see change, they want to see arrests, real action been taken. As much as the time to blame apartheid has ended, the time to protect comrades must come to an end as well.
Confidence in the ANC has declined so much that it is almost impossible to believe that the party can do right and take real decisive action against its own. The modus operandi of the ANC is now known by the masses. The party only delivers services towards elections and make promises, it will look busy and as if taking action against corruption. After elections, they disappear leaving their people to live in sewerage and travel on broken roads.
There is an expectation by the masses from the ANC, and the party better deliver and not play Russian roulette with voter confidence, otherwise they will feel it at the polls. When people have lost trust in you, do your best to win that trust back, not dice on it by pretending to be doing something.
