Former SABC Chief Operations Office Hlaudi Motsoeneng's new political party

Published Dec 18, 2018

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The news that former SABC COO Hlaudi Motsoeneng has formed his personal political party – African Content Movement, can be simply described as a nightmare that went horribly wrong for ordinary South Africans. As much as Section 19 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, enjoins Hlaudi Motsoeneng and others to form their own political parties and contest elections; I believe that majority of our people who are predominantly black; are being taken for a ride by many political party leaders of today. They have identified the gap in our society and they are exploiting it.

Many of these political parties formed after 1994, are platforms merely created to serve selfish and power hungryblack leaders. This include all AZAPO and PAC detractors as well. Their thinking makes logic though, if they form their own personal political parties, they automatically becoe leaders, remain in control and are guaranteed that much sought after one seat in parliament, annual salary of R 1,328.728[i] and associated parliamentary benefits. It is so sad that our politics have been reduced to a money making scheme and platform to reward some of the self-seeking black leaders of today.

I believe that those people who are busy forming new political parties when we desperately need to consolidate andmaximize our liberation struggle gains, they are doing so because their interest is to serve themselves, their coterieand lay their hands on that lucrative Member of Parliament (MP) salary packages. They are doing these fully aware that when they have formed their own political parties, they will place themselves on top of the IEC candidates list to parliament without any much opposition from their coterie and that one seat in parliament will fulfill their self-aggrandizement project to serve themselves.

It is people like these who often pay lip service to unity of our people while knowing that their plans have nothing to do with serving our people but to use our people to fulfill their power-mongering and selfish personal dreams. Just like some of the current Members of Parliament (MP), Members of Provincial Legislatures (MPLs) and Councillors; their arrival in parliament will possibly only help to increase the number of hecklers and howlers in parliament. Our People will have nothing substantive to gain from additional hecklers and howlers irrespective of which political party they come from.

I honestly believe that over 85% of the current Members of Parliament (MP), Members of Provincial Legislatures (MPLs) and Councillors; are in parliament, provincial legislatures and councils for money more than anything else. Our politics will become much better the day politicians appreciate the fact that being elected as a public representativeis a service to the People not a favor to leaders of political parties.

I am saddened by the fact that we have set our bar so low that anybody can just wake-up in the morning and form his/her own political party. The common denominator with all black leaders who form their own political parties, they all have political baggage. It appears that political parties are used as a convenient fall back plan for many of these black leaders. They all assume that transformation of our society can be achieved through fragmentation of the black communities through political parties – they simply do not understand the importance of unity, consolidation and the need for us to rise together.

Lesego Sechaba Mogotsi is a Member of the AZAPO Committee on Publicity and Information based in Tshwane, Gauteng.

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