Unyaka wezi-2024: Ungaguqula isimiso sikaHulumeni nokuphatha
Imiphumela yokhetho ingathunga uhulumeni wokubambisana kepha abukho ubufakazi bokuthi uzosebenza nokuthi amaqembu ayathembana
Kuningi okungahambi kahle eNingizimu Afrika. Ngaphandle kwenkinga kagesi ocima njalo nosekubalwa ukulahleka kwezigidi ngenxa yokuphazamiseka komkhiqizo, izwe libhekene nokukhula kwesibalo sabantu abangasebenzi. Ubugebengi kanjalo nokuhlukunyezwa kanye nokubulawa kwabesifazane nakho kudla lubi.
Ukuwodloka kohulumeni bezindawo okuyimikhandlu kubikwa nsuku zaphuma, kanjalo nokucija kwemikhonto phakathi kwemiphakathi neziphathimandla ngenxa yezimfuno kuyanda. Lokhu njengoba kuhlale kwenzeka uma izwe lizoba nokhetho, ezinyangeni ezimbalwa kusuka manje kuze kuba izwe liya okhethweni kulindeleke ukuba ushe umentshisi nethayi ezingxenyeni ezahlukene kuleli.
Ngokungangabazisi ingcindezi enkulu ngonyaka ozayo isenhlanganweni eyengamele ukhetho kuleli eyaziwa ngele-Independent Electoral Commission (IEC). Loluhlaka nokusebenza kwalo kuqinisekiswa nguMthetho Sisekelo (act 108 of 1996) khona lapho lusebenza ngaphansi komthetho i-Electoral Commission Act (1996). Okwalo akukhona nje kuphela ukuqinisekisa uzinzo kuhulumeni kepha libuye libe nomthwalo wokuqinisekisa ukuthi izakhamuzi ziba yingxenye yokuphathwa kwazo ngale kokhetho.
Ngaphansi kwedemokhrasi abe-IEC sebengamele ukhetho izikhawu eziyisi-6 kuzwelonke nakuzifundazwe (1994, 1999, 2004, 2009, 2014 nowe-2019) kanye nezikhawu eziyi-6 zokhetho kohulumeni bendawo (1995, 2000, 2006, 2011, 2016 nowe-2021).
Ukhetho langonyaka ozayo lubukeka luzoba yisivivinyo esikhulu kulenhlangano lokhu okungathinti nje kuphela ukuhleleka kwayo okungabasebenzi kepha ingcindezi izobe iqhamuka kuwo amaqembu lawa okumele baweluse. Kuwo onke amaqembu sekukhona ukukhuluma okuthi imiphumela yokhetho kukhona lapho ebuye ihlelwe khona. Lokhu kukhuluma akukusha njengoba kuvamile ukuvela uma iqembu elithize selehlulwa. Nokho kulokhu kuyaqina njengoba iqatha liya ngokuncipha kumaqembu nokwenza aduduleleke kwawafa wafa.
Ocwaningweni olwenziwe ngonyaka we-2021 ngabeHuman Sciences Research Council (HSRC) kutholakale ukuthi abantu abangama-95% babe nombono wokuthi ukhetho lohulumeni bendawo belungolukhululekile. Okwavela kulolu cwaningo kwaba wukuthi: Amaphesenti angama-90 abavoti bathi bayayethemba iKhomishini Yokhetho yaseNingizimu Afrika. Khona lapho kwavela nokuthi ingxenye engamaphesenti angama-96 yabaphendula baveza ukuthi banelisekile ngendlela abasebenzi beKhomishini abaziphatha ngayo.
Ukuthenjwa kwe-IEC
Ukwethenjwa kwe-IEC kuncike ezintweni ezahlukene. Kukhona lapho kuncike endleleni labo abasuke beqashwe yiyo oningi labo luvela ngesikhathi sokuvota njengoba kuqashwa abantu abasuke bengasebenzi nsuku zonke kuyo. Laba bekuvame ukuba kube ngothisha noma intsha enamakhono nemfundo ethile. Lokhu kuqale kahle kepha kwahamba kwaba nomsindo ngoba othisha laba bebede besolwa ‘ngokuchema’. Abebebasola bebethi bayingxenye yezinyunyana ezeseka amaqembu asuke encintisana. Akukabi bikho ubufakazi obubambekayo ekutheni othisha abasuke beqashwe yi-IEC nembala bayilokhu okuthiwa bayikho.
Okunye ukwethenjwa kulele kuziphathimandla zalolu hlaka. Ngesikhathi saloyo obenguSihlalo walolu hlaka isikhathi eside uDkt uBrigalia Bam bekukuncane ukusola lolu hlaka nokho unede waphuma kwaqala ukukhuluma. Izinsolo nokho ezingakaze ziqinisekiswe bezivela ngoMnu uVuma Glenton Mashinini nonguSihalo omusha.
Ukuqokwa kukaMashinini akwehlanga kahle emaqenjini aphikisayo. Yize uMashinini enamava ngalo msebenzi njengoba ake wasebenza njengesikhulu se-IEC kusuka ngonyaka we-1998 kuya kowezi-2001, isono sakhe kwaba wukuthi wake waba ngumeluleki kaloyo owayenguMengameli uMnu uJacob Zuma. UMashinini wafikela phezu kwenkanankana ngoba wafika sekuvele sekukhona ukukhuluma kokungayethembi le inhlangano (IEC) ngenxa yamaphutha kanjalo nezinsolo zokwenzelela.
Elinye iphutha elingagqamanga kwabezindaba ngaleso sikhathi kwaba wudaba oluthinta isihlalo se-African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) ngokhetho lowezi-2004. Lapha i-ACDP yasola abe-IEC ngokwenza iphutha ekwabeni izihlalo nayilapho yagixabeza isihlalo sayo i-Azanian People’s Organisation (Azapo).
Ngesikhathi kuyiwa okhethweni lakamuva lohulumeni bezindawo abe-IEC bake baba kwingcindezi yokuhlehlisa ukhetho. Lokhu kwadala ungabazane njengoba kwabe kungasho ukuthi kuba nokungqubuzana phakathi kwayo neNkantolo yoMthetho Sisekelo. Nokho yadlula kulesi sikhinsi lenhlangano njengoba laba khona ukhetho. Ngonyaka ozayo kukhona futhi ukukhuluma okude kuvela nokuthinta ukukhononda kwalabo abangenela ukhetho ngabodwana bakhala ngokuthi umthetho okhona ucheme namaqembu. Lokhu yize kungekho ezandleni ze-IEC kunalezo zabashayimthetho nezinkantolo ukukhononda kuninda lenhlangano, ubuholi nabasebenzi bayo.
Uhulumeni wamaqembu ehlukene
Izinqapheli kanjalo nawo amaqembu qobo bakholelwa ekutheni imiphumela yangonyaka ozayo izokhipha uhulumeni wamaqembu ehlukene. Lokhu kunobuhle nobubi bakho. Emazweni afana nakwa-Israeli udaba lukahulumeni owakhiwe ngamaqembu ehlukene lujwayelekile. Okunye okujwayelekile wukuthi loluhlobo lukahulumeni kalunalo uzinzo ngoba imvama lwenziwa ngamaqembu angalingani okuba ngelikhulu kepha lishode ngezinombolo bese lifuna uxhaso kwelincane noma amancane. Okunye okugqamayo wukuthi loluhlobo lukahulumeni aluvamile ukuba yintando yabantu ngoba uhulumeni uyenziwa neqembu elingavotelwanga yiningi inqobo nje uma linezinombolo ezingaweza lelo elikhulu kepha elihlulwe zinombolo ukuba lenze uhulumeni lodwa.
ENingizimu Afrika kakhulukazi kohulumeni bendawo sekuke kwaba neziwombe lapho kuba khona ukubambisana kwamaqembu. Lokhu kuqala kukuhle kepha kuphele sekuxatshanwa kusolwana. Isithombe saseNelson Mandela, Tshwane naseJohannesburg ngisho naseThekwini sikhomba ukuthi amaqembu lawa angena ezivumelwaneni kawathembani, acuphelana nemigoga.
Amaqembu aphikisayo aseqalile ukusho ukuthi nakanjani ngonyaka ozayo azoba lumbimbi ngenhloso yokududula uKhongolose. Lama qembu ahlukene kabili, kukhona aholwa yiqembu elikhulu kwaphikisayo iDemocratic Alliance (DA).
Ebika ngalomkhankaso wokugudluza uKhongolose umholi weDA uMnu uJohn Steenhuisen wathi: “Sengibhalele abaholi bawowonke lamaqembu ukubabonga ngokuphendula kwabo kanjalo nangeziphakamiso zabo zokuthi kumele luphumelele kanjani umbimbi. Kuze kube yimanje laba baholi bamaqembu ayisithupha bavumile ukuhambela lolu mbimbi okuyiNational Convention for the Moonshot Pact: Kubona kukhona uMnu uVelenkosini Hlabisa we-Inkatha Freedom Party; uMnu uHerman Mashaba we-Action South Africa; uMnu u-Ahmed Shaik omele iNational Freedom Party; uDkt uPieter Groenewald weqembu iFreedom Front Plus; uMnu uNeil de Beer ophuma kwi-United Independent Movement. Ngaphezulu kwamaqembu asezibophezele futhi uMnu uMmusi Maimane weBuild One South Africa noMnu uSongezo Zibi weRise Mzansi abaveze ukuthi basadla amathambo engqondo ngokuthi baphendule kanjani.
Nokho khona lapho wakuveza ukuthi maningi angakabi yingxenye yalolu mbimbi. “Ngeshwa, kumele ngibike ngokukhulu ukuphoxeka ukuthi abaholi abathathu basichithile isicelo sokuba yingxenye yombimbi. Laba baholi nguMfundisi uKenneth Meshoe ongumholi weqembu i-African Christian Democratic Party; uJenene uBantu Holomisa we-United Democratic Movement; uMnu uBongani Baloyi omele iqembu iXiluva,” kusho lomholi. Waphetha ngokuthi “Abaholi abaphuma ku-African Independent Congress, i-African Transformation Movement, i-Abantu Batho Congress, iPan African Congress, iMinority Front abakaphenduli” .
Okugqamayo ngalolu mbimbi oluholwa yiDA wukuthi alunayo i-Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF). Lokhu kunomlando wakho njengoba iDA ikusho zisuka nje ukuthi ayiyifuni lenhlangano kulolu mbimbi kanti nayo i-EFF imile ekutheni ngeke yasebenza nabantu ebabiza ngezinsalela zobandlululo.
Khona lapho sekukhona ukukhuluma emaqenjini ukuthi uma ngabe luba khona umbimbi lolu iDA ingacabangi ukuthi izoba ngumholi walo. Lokhu kukodwa kusho ukuthi vele nawo amaqembu lawa asahlanganiswe wukungafuni ukuba uKhongolose unqobe kepha kawathembani. Uma kuphetha kunjena kusho ukuthi ngeke kube nozinzo njengoba kuke kwenzeke emazweni afana no-Israel lapho uhulumeni uhlala nje iminyaka kokunye izinyanga bese kuqala phansi.
Okwamanje kakwaziwa ukuthi iyokuzala nkomoni kepha okuthanda ukuba sobala wukuthi ukhetho lonyaka ozayo luza nezinguquko, izwe nesimiso sikahulumeni esisaziyo yonke leminyaka singahle sehluke nokuyinto encike kubavoti kanye nakuwo amaqembu lawa. Ngakolunye uhlangothi abe-IEC kulokhu kabasengi nje inkomo eyejwayelekile kepha ngonyaka ozayo bayobe besenga ibhlamane likhahlela ngoba akekho ongafuni ukuphatha.