Political parties will not deliver a revolution for South Africa

We are now officially in the 7th administration and have seen the first episode play itself out last week. There was drama, comedy, thriller, suspense, and dialogue. Just the right ingredients to keep ever accepting South Africans entertained. This is the very entertainment that numbs all of us, to forget about the real issues facing our country. It’s the speeches, the debates, the reactions and point of orders, that get us talking for days on end. Keeping us glued onto our screens. How long can this go on for if we are still complaining about a country whose dream has been deferred?

When and where were they born?

It looks like everything in the globe is a western phenomenon, yes, political parties too. That includes parliament and the constitution. You see, when Dr Hlophe (Mk party leader) talks about the Roman-Dutch Law, he will not go deeper and tell you about the foundations of what we call politics today. Those too, are not just Roman or Dutch but entrenched into the American history.

Modern political parties are considered to have emerged around the end of the 18th century; they are usually considered to have first appeared in Europe and the United States of America, with the United Kingdom's Conservative Party and the Democratic Party of the United States both frequently called the world's "oldest continuous political party". In many European countries, including Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, and France, political parties organized around a liberal-conservative divide, or around religious disputes(Wikipedia,2024).

African politics were always driven by the need to decolonize

Earliest political movements such as the African National Congress (first called the South African Natives National Congress), Indian National Congress or the Uganda National Congress all formed to fight for the independence of the natives, who were oppressed, enslaved and discriminated against in their own birth countries by the Europeans. It was a means to organize people towards a common ideal and goal. And to actively (and militarily) fight against the system. Many colonised nations ended up negotiating their freedom with the European colonisers, often at their own expense. Africa in particular, though it had made some strides towards full independence (i.e., Kwame Nkrumar in Ghana and Muammar Gaddafi in Libya). These wins were either reversed by the same colonizers via back door Coup d'état, or inflicted domestic wars (e.g., Congo and Sudan today). This either created fear amongst other African leaders or cowardice. Because as many of the so called Freedoms and democracies stand in Africa, none of them are actually decolonized.

Political parties are no longer revolutionary tools

Gone are the days when politicians were real revolutionaries. Today we quote Patrice Lumumba, Kwame Nkruma or Julius Nyerere as the new age revolutionaries that used the pen and paper, the electorate, and the political system to bring about change. They only succeeded because once they got into office, they effected the changes they’d spoken of and true to that, they all are now six feet underground.

Todays political parties are just businesses with board of directors and Key Performance Indicators. They exist to create employment and content. They are part of the system and have no intention of changing it. This is why whilst many politicians that claim to be for the people during electoral campaigns, will ditch revolutionary activism after being voted in and get on with the parliamentary, and other governance systems.

Waiting for elections will not work

After 2024’s elections, I’m sure everyone has lost trust in South Africa’s electoral system. Its messed up, faulty, a sham and not credible. So, considering we’ve had 6 years of zero growth and development, how will waiting for 2026 or 2029 help our cause? The only way to really get these suited men’s attention is to paint South Africa red, on all streets. Elections only feed the political system and provide an avenue for the same politicians to have access to the country’s purse. It does not translate to change for the masses because as we all have seen, they change their tune once elected. It becomes about them and their political parties, not the people.

Advocate Muzi Sikhakhane provides a clear analysis of why South Africa needs a real revolution that will be undertaken in the streets and through militancy. His take is that young and old courageous people must challenge the electoralism and waiting for the next round of elections is just an unnecessary delay. Change cannot be gradual because the majority of this country remains poor, subjected to the worst living conditions with no clear path to economic prosperity. Revolution fights for the most downtrodden.

Are political parties delaying a real revolution in South Africa?

At some point we need to either get on with the programme or take up the fight on our own. Many countries in Africa are a battlefield, indeed 2024 has become 1994 for the Millennials and Gen-Z’s, as the youth of today. The political party system was never designed to be revolutionary, it was always used to steer power for financial gain. As todays global political and financial powerhouses demonstrate to us daily, speeches, meetings and media interviews only push the narrative that the system perpetuates - individualism, the interests of the few elite and maintaining the capitalist market system.

Political parties registered to contest the 2024 elections rose to over 50, and all of them driven by the need to ‘liberate’ the majority of South Africans. However today, we are subjected to drama and verbal boxing on our screens, watching old men in their 80’s complain of false insults and men in their 50’s promoting apartheid anthems all in the name of political expediency.

Nothing restores confidence or hope that this land will ever be decolonized. Our own black leaders are just white men in brown skin.

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