By Steven Lang
This weekend both the ANC and the DA will be holding their final election rallies in Gauteng while the EFF will hold their rally in Polokwane. All the major parties appear to be focussing most of their attention on KwaZulu Natal, so Steven Lang says that it is not surprising if the people of Makana feel that the election is happening somewhere else.
Citizens of Makana can’t be blamed if they are feeling left out in the cold ahead of next week’s voting. Yes, the national and provincial elections are being held this coming Wednesday, and at the time of writing, political heavy hitters have largely ignored our little slice of the country.
Things might suddenly change over the weekend. We are, after all, living in a rather volatile campaign period, but even if one of the parties holds a last-minute, high-profile rally, I still believe we’re being put on the back burner. If a rally does materialise – surprise, surprise – it is too little, too late.
In the run-up to the 2019 elections, President Cyril Ramaphosa himself led the Freedom Day Celebrations in Makhanda. He was accompanied by Arts and Culture Minister Nathi Mthethwa and the Eastern Cape Legislature Speaker, Noxolo Kiviet, just for good measure. Sure, five Pilatus jets screamed across the skies and a marching band paraded through the dusty Miki Yili Stadium to commemorate April 27 for the country – coincidentally just before the elections on May 8.
In April 2019, the ANC held a high-profile rally with the late, wildly popular, Zahara to sing for party loyalists in Makhanda. The Eastern Cape Premier, Phumulo Masualle and the Health MEC came to visit on separate occasions and they were dutifully followed by cheering groups of T-shirt-wearing ANC supporters.
The DA, true to its style, had a more sedate breakfast with Natasha Mazzone, the Shadow Minister of Public Enterprises at that time. This year, as far as we can tell, the DA has had two semi-public meetings in Makhanda with the current shadow minister of Mineral Resources and Energy, Kevin Mileham; Eastern Cape Provincial leader, Andrew Whitfield; and the Mayor of Umgeni Municipality, Chris Pappas as their star attractions.
The two DA events that we are aware of were modest affairs at the Albany Bowling Club and the Albany Club on High Street – hardly venues that could attract the masses, or a hundred people.
The Economic Freedom Fighters, (EFF) have kept a fairly low profile in Makhanda during the current campaign period. There were some rowdy EFF protests along the N2 where it runs past Seven Fountains, but the real show stopper was in Port Alfred where the Commander in Chief, Julius Malema, arrived and departed in a helicopter – typically used by fighters seeking their economic freedom.
Let’s face it, Makhanda only just makes it to the backburner. The ANC sends a beautifully branded bakkie blaring big bass beats to disturb the peace all around town. A few parties have used up their limited budgets to place a sparse array of posters on strategic poles, but none of the major parties are particularly interested in what’s taking place here.
I don’t think this is quite a mixed metaphor, but if we’re on the backburner, it’s because politicians have other fish to fry.
The wave of election fever that is engulfing the country is rolling over Makhanda without even slowing down.
The reason why we are missing out on the election jamboree is obvious to anyone who pays attention to opinion polls. There is no chance of the Eastern Cape Legislature changing hands. All parties appear to agree (not publicly, of course) that the ANC has got this province sewn up.
Various entities have conducted a number of surveys over recent months. They don’t exactly agree with each other and their results are changing from week to week. In polls released this week, it appears that the ANC is doing slightly better and the DA is doing a little worse than before.
Nevertheless, there is a real possibility that the ANC will not enjoy a majority in the National Assembly after the elections. This means that the ruling party of the last thirty years will have to form a coalition government, and if you have paid any attention to the chaos that ensued when parties tried to work together at local government level, you will be afraid, very afraid.
The opinion polls indicate that the ANC will lose its majority in KwaZulu Natal which explains why both President Cyril Ramaphosa and his Deputy, Paul Mashatile, will be stumping the campaign trail there over the next few days. EFF Leader Julius Malema will also be visiting the province after he addresses his supporters at the Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane.
The ANC is set to hold its showpiece Siyanqoba Rally at the FNB stadium in Johannesburg this Saturday. This final rally is of critical importance because it is at the centre of Gauteng where the party is unlikely to hold onto its paper-thin majority from 2019. Cue – more jockeying for power in a coalition.
The ANC is not the only party that could lose control of a province. Many polls indicate that the DA could lose its majority in the Western Cape thus opening the way for more coalition bartering.
As control of the National Assembly, KwaZulu Natal, Gauteng and the Western Cape hang in the balance, it is not surprising that the Eastern Cape has become even more of a backwater.
