Accountability, Opposition and Conviction the key for SA

Arguably the best area for service delivery in South Africa currently is the Western Cape which happens to be run by the Democratic Alliance.  What is more significant about this statistic is that this has been achieved with the lowest set of municipal in rates increases in the country at 21% (as quoted on Fin24).

Contrast this with the statistics from Limpopo at a 150% increase, Mpumalanga at 145% and Eastern Cape at 121% and I am sure that you will agree that this makes yet another compelling argument for having competition when it comes to government.

I am wondering as I write this whether the electorate will be able to see that there is now more than ever the need to have a strong opposition to the ANC.  Currently South Africa has only one really effective opposition party, from a numbers point of view, and this is the Democratic Alliance. They have a lot to prove and it would appear, on face value anyway, that they are succeeding in the Western Cape.

Before I get a flood of people telling me off for being pro DA, let me add to save you the time and effort that I am a DA supporter. I have been for a number of years now and while I certainly am not in agreement with everything they say and perhaps some of the tactics that they employ on the communication side, I think they offer the best alternative to the ANC.

Therein lays the point of my post, until we have a sizeable and effective opposition we are going to continue to have a ruling party that is able to effect any decision they like.  We will be reduced to incidents like yesterday’s parliamentary session, where the minister actual does not answer the questions posed and hides behind stats.  Where a minister can sit on a report for two months and claim that they have not had time to read it. This is not a democratic enough country yet and it will need vastly more accountable office bearers for this to happen. To achieve this we need effective opposition which will ensure that people elected to party lists are competent and not just popular.

If the DA is able to strengthen their position in other provinces, we could just see an even more accountable government in place.  I urge you not only to get out and vote, but also to consider who you are going to vote for.