Singing and dancing opened a political debate at the Makana Resort Centre on Friday.
Singing and dancing opened a political debate at the Makana Resort Centre on Friday.
The theme of the debate was: "Fifteen Years of South Africa’s Democracy" so although the the singing seemed joyous by nature, the message of the songs and the issues raised at the debate suggested thet there is still a great deal to think about.
Around 120 people travelled from as far as Peddie to talk about how far the country has come as well as the problems that still need to be faced. The debate, which was organised by the Masifunde Education and Development Project Trust, aimed to raise conciousness about a number of issues including "the state of local and rural governance, the impact of poor service delivery" and "the state of agriculture and the food crisis in our country".
Topics that were discussed included how the economic crisis impacts on working people and small-scale farmers. Their role in changing the economic situation was also emphasised. This was clearly expressed by Mazibuko Jara, an editorial team member from Amandla publishers, when he posed the questions: "Why tolerate corrupt councillors? Why bad service delivery and yet very little action by the people? Why tolerate an inefficient government? Why no mass anger and mobilisation on a consistent basis?" Many of the speakers agreed that it is in the hands of the people to make a difference in the country. It is necessary, according to Jara, for people to put "mass pressure on the government" in order to propel the country forward.
Jara pointed out how much promise the Eastern Cape holds for agricultural development, saying that it has the most fertile soil and receives the most rainfall in South Africa. However, he pointed out that these benefits often go to waste as the people in the Eastern Cape do not make the most of these advantages. For example, Jara noted that too much of what is produced in the Eastern Cape gets exported elsewhere. "We send money out of the Eastern Cape," he explained.
Throughout the presentations, attendees paged through community newspapers, pamphlets and the Masifunde’s Trust For Community Outreach and Education (TCOE) annual report, looking at Masifunde’s aims and history. These reading materials added to the debate by contributing information about community issues and education.
The songs that were sung also bolstered the debate’s purpose as they spoke of fighting against poverty, landlessness and the scourge of HIV/Aids. One of the songs saw the crowd demanding the rights to water and land, and saying they are prepared to face the consequences for claiming that land.
