Silly season is upon us with politicians already campaigning for this year’s municipal elections.
The theatre of the absurd kicked off with Johannesburg DA mayoral candidate, 75-year-old Helen Zille, donning her swimming cap, goggles and snorkel and taking a dip in a massive pothole neglected by that municipality.
The problem hole was repaired three days later. Delighted, she went, with a deckchair and fishing rod, to sit and “pretend to fish” in a decrepit stinky public swimming pool.
It is harmless campaigning by an opposition politician which serves to highlight the current governance failures in Johannesburg under ANC mayor Dada Morero.
We all expect to have to put up with political point scoring in the run up to an election.
But, what makes no sense is for an existing mayor to lead a march in her own city against things that she herself has some power to change but chooses not to.
Mayor Princess Faku has declared her intention to march on Friday on what she has described as drug hotspots known to her municipality and law enforcement.
Again, it is clearly an election stunt. She is perhaps trying to attract the vote of the many people that are sick and tired of the terrible dangers that drug production, dealing and use introduce to KuGompo City’s suburbs over which Faku so smugly presides.
Just a week ago, a protest in the same area resulted in the burning of cars, damage to property and injury to people
It is problematic on so many levels. Most importantly, it is not the harmless political theatre that most other politicians participate in.
Just a week ago, a protest in the same area resulted in the burning of cars, damage to property and injury to people.
This is not a bandwagon the mayor should be jumping on.
If both she and law enforcement know which areas suffer drug activity, why does she not use all the powers that the city executive and the police enjoy to help resolve the issue.
Imagine if, instead of marching, she, her executive and the administration worked with the police to consistently address the issues that devastate those neighbourhoods.
Imagine if those neighbourhoods enjoyed visible policing, proper street lighting, clean pavements and open, safe parks.
Imagine if she implemented municipal bylaws around condemned buildings.
There would be no place for criminals to hide, to establish drug laboratories, or to store and sell drugs.
Instead, police will now have to go to the expense of deploying public order members to try to avoid another protest march from turning into a destructive and violent occasion.
Faku would score far more political points if she simply did her job rather than march against one of the many outcomes of her not doing so.
Surely that is tantamount to marching against her own incompetence.
Daily Dispatch
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