Life is tough in SA; and judging by the behaviour of the current resident of the White House, it is about to get worse. The cost of living is already unbearable, with more fuel increases expected next month.
In times like these, comic relief becomes a survival tool. So I logged onto Netflix to watch Trevor Noah’s latest special. It wasn’t spectacular, but it wasn’t bad either. I managed a good chuckle − at least three times. Still, the most hilarious content is not on Netflix; it is found in our politics.
Take Helen Zille. Her stunts have become legendary. First, she attempted some scuba diving into a humongous ditch on a road in Douglasdale. More recently, she posted a TikTok of herself riding an inflatable boat down a flooded road in Soweto.
These antics have earned her the title “Jozi Mermaid”. Every time her videos go viral, they cause massive embarrassment for the ANC-led coalition in Johannesburg. And that‘s precisely the point: her strategy works. Her campaign remains a talking point, and she knows how to keep herself in the headlines.
Fikile Mbalula has given the communists 10 days to make their choice. Who will blink first?
But politics is never just fun and games. Zille had a tough time recently when she hosted a community meeting to canvass for votes in Johannesburg. She was confronted by community activist and pastor Nigel Branken, who challenged the DA’s denial of a genocide taking place in Gaza.
The funniest part of the confrontation was not Branken’s words but the reaction of Zille’s supporters. They did not mind him calling the party racist, but they erupted when he accused Israel of committing genocide in Palestine. Branken had to raise his voice as Zille’s supporters shouted him down.
The incident says a lot about the DA’s stance on human rights and race relations. Service delivery issues are important, yes, but given our history of black oppression under a racist white government, how can we trust a party that turns a blind eye to the mass killing of innocent women and children?
Another “gogo” in trouble is the ANC Women’s League president and social development minister Sisisi Tolashe. She’s haunted by her decision to accept a donation of Chinese SUVs meant for the league. Instead of presenting them to Luthuli House, she handed them to her children.
According to the Sunday Times − and I’m not making this up − she told the ANC integrity commission that she gifted them to her children to save the vehicles from being attached if Luthuli House’s debtors came knocking.
It is a story so absurd it borders on comedy.
Meanwhile, the ANC is locked in a cat-and-mouse game with the SA Communist Party (SACP). The ANC is furious that the alliance partner has decided to contest the upcoming elections independently.
In response, the ANC has instructed members with dual membership to choose sides. Those who side with the SACP risk losing their positions in the ANC and government. They’re also barred from attending ANC election strategy meetings.
The SACP has labelled this move as intimidation. This squabble could mark the beginning of the end for the tripartite alliance. It stems from the SACP’s protest against the ANC’s refusal to reconfigure the alliance; decoded, that means the ANC refuses to give the SACP and other partners more influence in government decisions and appointments.
The ANC is now using its power to push back, forcing SACP leaders to choose a side. It is highly unlikely top SACP leaders serving in President Cyril Ramaphosa’s government would risk losing their positions to side with Solly Mapaila’s pursuit of state power.
Recent by-elections show little appetite among voters to support the communists. Either way, the SACP cannot divorce itself from the failures of the past 32 years. Its leaders have played major roles in ANC structures and government since 1994.
It would be laughable for the party to claim to be a better alternative to the same government it has been part of. So, we wait to see which minister is willing to give up the blue lights in solidarity with Leninist-Marxist ideals.
Fikile Mbalula has given the communists 10 days to make their choice. Who will blink first? The standoff promises to deliver more headlines as we head to the local government elections − but may also serve as much-needed comic relief as we try to navigate the high cost of living.
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