By Franco van den Berg
In the midst of battles around the dignity of Afrikaans, mother tongue education, and all kinds of other inflammatory statements, I got to know Lesufi. Here in the corridors, we get to know him as a false accuser and someone who has deep-seated problems with anyone who does not share his opinion.
His voters get to know him as the man who will save education, and later then now, the man at the helm of Gauteng. The most important thing, of course, is to remember that he is important. Yours is so important that he can turn to recruiting votes for the ANC, and in the process marketing a program that promises “thousands and thousands” of jobs.
Well then, the day comes when all kinds of eager young people force themselves to Nasrec, because they are going to hand in their CVs. And they do. By hand. As required. But what happens after that?
Thousands of CVs are reported to have been found in ash bins behind the centre, and this while people are still handing in CVs. So how now? Is the human resources team on duty there now so fluent? Or are the men who sat in the back of a car and held out a few CVs, while thousands of others ended up in the garbage, actually just doing something underground?
The prime minister and his office naturally dispute these allegations, and will launch a full-scale ‘investigation’. On the face of it, it looks like just another election gimmick. Is it?
It is not for me to say. But what I can say is that Prime Minister Panyaza Lesufi is a real ANC man. In marrow and bone. This means that he will align himself with his party’s policy, which is of course the policy that speaks of a bourgeois revolution, or in other words, we and our friends will first become rich, and then we will transition into a totally socialist state. He is so aligned with these values that a program that promises work can only be an empty promise.
At least everyone knows that the transition will not take place, because Lesufi and his are too busy to participate in the bourgeoisie revolution. It’s fun to live in an estate, drive fancy cars, and wear designer clothes. This is the truth, but it may only be fun for certain people, and even more so, only be reserved for certain people’s friends.
The truth is that Lesufi’s promises of work, and help, and the supposed prosperity that goes with it only created hope, and added another vote or two to the hope. His truth, as his party has proven time and time again, is that he can only do well, no matter who is left behind.
- Franco van den Berg is a junior media and business officer at Solidarity.
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