DA's Lindiwe lives in Lala-Land
It was with great amusement that the African National Congress Youth League noted DA Parliamentary Leader, Lindiwe Mazibuko's comments on the African National Congress's prospects at the general election to be held in 2014 (see AFP report).
Ms Mazibuko, a young lady who joined politics through the helpful hand of an academic dissertation in 2007; 13 full years after the ANC's historic breakthrough at the country's first democratic elections and 97 years after the formation of this gallant people's movement, believes that today she is an authority on how the people of South Africa shall vote come 2014.
By her own admission, her interest in this country was awakened from watching it afar in England, secure and comfortable in the luxury of a detached upbringing.
As reported in the media, and no doubt delivered with glee by Mazibuko, she has the audacity to believe that the people of South Africa will switch a well deserved and long-held allegiance to the African National Congress to the liberal, racist and irrelevant Democratic Alliance, delivering what she hopes will be a "hammering of the ANC... resulting in the ANC dropping to the 50"s" come 2014.
Not only is she totally misguided, she lives in lala-land and has demonstrated her lack of understanding of South Africa and the commitment that the African National Congress has made and fulfilled to the people of this country.
Ms Mazibuko will be well advised to restrain her eagerness and enthusiasm to the ever present propaganda of the DA that they are a party of the people, instead of seeking to enter into the important world of the real socio-economic transformation project of this country, agreed to by the people and led by their organisation, the African National Congress.
She is unknown in any revolutionary agenda to believe she can speak today on the person of the Head of the Republic of South Africa, Comrade Jacob Zuma. A boisterous newcomer to the challenges faced by our people, she fails to comprehend even a fraction of the unrelenting sacrifice and dedication of the African National Congress, its members and the people of this country.
Seen against totality of the experiences of this country, Lindiwe spews rhetoric on all manner of things, however we believe she must first humble herself to learn and understand, from more than a dissertation on the Madam, the people's struggles and our revolutionary project before being driven to comment on our expected performance in the elections.
The quest for a better life, 101 years on is driven by the blood, sweat and tears of ordinary men and women who today would never sacrifice themselves at the alter of convenience and expediency that is the Democratic Alliance. Lofty debates and presuppositions with no merit and understanding of the real South African condition are not helpful.
We trust that next time Lindiwe is filled with self-inflicted delusions of grandeur, she may do well to consider the many strides and achievements that the African National Congress and the people of this country have recorded towards a better life for all.
While they are many, perhaps it becomes important to expatiate on a few including amongst them a stable democracy, expanded access to basic services, a functional social support system, greater exposure to education opportunities for those who previously did not have and the entrenchment of very important and very fundamental rights such as the right of a young girl to consistently attack the Leader of the Revolution, have such right protected by the Constitution, as equally the right of others to respond.
While much has been done, much more still needs to be done, we are confident the people of the Republic of South Africa will deliver an overwhelming mandate to the ANC to continue our transformation project towards economic freedom in our lifetime.
Statement issued by the ANC Youth League, February 13 2013
Click here to sign up to receive our free daily headline email newsletter
