South Africa and the recent Elections

  Hi fellow Steemers, let me off start by saying that I’m not a professional writer or journalist. I am just an IT guy and cryptocurrency enthusiast. With my story I would like to perhaps represent the ordinary man on the street, in our beautiful country, South Africa.  

                    

   South Africa had been riddled by the dogma that there is a difference in how people of different races and cultures should be treating one another. With the municipal elections on 3 August 2016, this once again came forth and it became quite apparent in the media. 

To bring you into the picture, the ANC (African National Congress) is the current ruling party and the DA (Democratic Alliance) is basically the only party with enough power to dethrone the ANC.

   I have seen comments being posted online that the DA might oppress black people and that the ANC is the only black empowerment party. Whereas, in actual fact, we have different races of people behind all parties. In fact, the DA is being led by a very insightful black man, Mmusi Maimane. We can only guess that these comments are being uttered out of fear for the unknown...the fear of change. 

Fortunately, we are moving away from this race-card ditch now. People are starting to see that it is not about the colour of your skin or the language of your mother tongue. It is about being human and about moral values…that we need to stand for what is right and not for what is wrong. Lies and deceit has been the order of the day under the leadership of the ANC. This has negatively affected our economy and overall standing compared to the rest of the world. 

On this election day, the ANC has lost a lot of ground against the DA. The ANC now has an absolute majority in just three of the eight main metropolitan areas (down from seven in 2011).  It won 54.5% of the popular vote, its worst-ever showing, and lost its majority in the capital city, Pretoria, the very attractive City of Cape Town (again), as well as the Nelson Mandela Bay municipality, which includes Port Elizabeth. The ANC also lost outright majorities in the financial center, Johannesburg and its industrial hub neighbour, Ekurhuleni. Coalitions are still underway.  

This essentially leaves the ANC with mostly rural areas, where deliberate empty promises have been made; promises of free homes and other benefits to be gained as long as they vote for the ANC, whereas the exact opposite is true. Jacob Zuma, head of the ANC and president, violated the constitution by using taxpayers’ money to upgrade his own private home. He also caused world-wide controversy when he decided to fire a respected finance minister in December, which caused a sell-off in the rand (ZAR) and nation’s bonds. These are just a few examples.  Coming back to this Election Day, his speech was made awkwardly difficult by a group of woman reminding everyone of the rape charges that were laid against him. 

Everyone is starting to come forth and stand up for what is right. We are finally gaining hope for a better future. We are once again becoming a country worth investing in and this is evident in the rand getting stronger again since this election day. 

This is not a story about the struggle between different races or different parties, but a pleasant reminder that we are all equal and that it is in our nature to stand for what is good. What we are witnessing here, is the start of victory for South Africans and humanity in general. We can make a change. We are going to be fine…and it’s only getting better from here.