When politicians miss the point

The 53rd ANC conference is under way; a few hours in and the oddity that is the modern politician has shown itself. The provincial secretary of the ANC in the Western Cape, Marius Fransman, turned down the opportunity to serve on the (incredibly powerful) National Executive Committee (NEC) of the ANC. He stated that his reason for such action was so that he could rather stay in the Western Cape and unify the party in order to continue the fight to dislodge the Democratic Alliance from power. Rather than saying to the ANC that he would stay in the Western Cape to ensure that the needs of the people are met and that poverty would be reduced and jobs created, his main focus is to oust the opposition. Strange, and here I am thinking that politicians were there to serve the people and to provide 'a better life for all'. Have I missed the point of a public servant, or have they?

How can you run the country if you cannot run your own conference?

The 53rd African National Congress Conference begun on Sunday 16 December 2012, several hours late. This is the 100 year celebration of the ANC as well as the key decider of policy and leadership for the ruling party of our country and they cannot get their own house in order. In the lead up to the National Conference the provincial and regional branches of the ANC had to meet, register, and decide on their choices for the leadership positions within the ANC. Sounds like a simple process. However, to their eternal disgrace, the ANC could not even run their own provincial election process. The Limpopo, Western Cape, and North West branches could not even get their conferences finished in time in order for their representatives to be chosen. The top brass within the ANC had to call a special resolution to allow these provinces to hand in their nominations late. Even with this concession, the Free State branch of the ANC struggled with infighting and disputes to such a degree that it took a Constitutional Court ruling to call the voting null and void, and as such, throw out the election results. As it currently stands, the Free State branch will not be represented at the National Conference. If the ANC leadership claim the above shambles as provincial bickering and infighting, however, the start of the conference has blown this excuse out the water. Not only did the conference start several hours late, but the accommodation, transport, accreditation, meals and internet access were not running properly, if at all. It appears as if the only section running smoothly was the smoker’s tent, run by British American Tobacco South Africa. If this is how the ruling party runs their own house, I beg you, how can they run a country?