Ina Gouws
Cape Town - State of the Nation Address (Sona) is upon us. What can South Africans look forward to in this address?
According to the Presidency, the president will focus on the energy crisis and the blackouts. He will hopefully also shed some light on the disaster legislation the government intends to implement to address the energy crisis.
Reports that the ANC wants Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma to over-see the load shedding state of disaster do not inspire confidence. What we should take serious note of is what the president will have to say about the plans to move Eskom to the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy, a move criticised and, frankly, feared.
Also, according to the Presidency, the outcomes of the Investing in Africa Mining Indaba, which started on Tuesday, will receive attention in the Sona.
No doubt the president will paint a picture of substantial investments to look forward to, which will lead to job creation; a promise made in every Sona of every year of his term, for which there has been very little evidence.
The Minister in the Presidency, Mondli Gungubele, also told the media that the government would not look to introduce new policies, but would focus on resolving existing policy implementation failures since this is the final year of this government’s term.
Other than these areas of focus, we can expect the usual stats and figures to indicate “progress” or evidence of a caring government; more people receiving social grants and unrealistic job creation numbers, to name two.
Collapsing municipalities and ongoing corruption will also probably get mentioned under the umbrella of service delivery, with futile promises of eradicating corruption and appointing qualified cadres.
From what I have heard among fellow South Africans and seen on social media, the interest in the Sona is at an all-time low.
We are tired of politicians talking, promising, stating the obvious and blatantly underestimating our collective intelligence. We know there is no concrete plan to address the energy crisis.
We see incompetent ministers still have jobs. Promises for growth and job creation do not resonate at all because South Africans live the reality of unemployment and poverty.
Does this indifference towards the Sona this year mean that the nation has lost interest in politics in general?
Many would argue that this is indeed the case. I do not agree. The abject apathy that is taking hold of (especially young) South Africans concerning the political processes is an issue widely researched and debated.
Apathy is essentially having no feeling or connection to a situation, or a lack of desire or interest to act or participate. Youth find the formal political processes frustrating, alienating and ulikely to yield desired results.
More and more older South Africans are joining them in these attitudes, and have developed feelings of apathy of their own. However, apathy towards the formal political process and politicians (elections and electorates) does not mean that South Africans are not interested in politics.
To be indifferent is to decide to show no interest and not care or have any opinion about an issue, situation or event. It differs from apathy because suffering, experience and disappointment breed apathy which is, therefore, not a decision but a condition.
Indifference towards the Sona is a decision South Africans make, but their interest, involvement and participation in civic organisations and representative processes remain vibrant.
Therein lies our strength and, in my opinion, the revitalisation of grassroots influence on South African politics.
So, if you have better things to do this evening, go and do them. Spend the time with community members talking about what can be done to help each other and hold your officials accountable.
It might also be your group’s turn for a blackout, so spend the time with loved ones around a candle or rechargeable LED light. Do not feel any guilt or that you are missing out. You are not apathetic, merely indifferent. An understandable choice.
Dr Gouws is a Senior Lecturer for Governance and Political Transformation in the Department of Political Studies and Governance at the University of the Free State
Cape Times
* The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of IOL or Independent Media.