We Deserve a Better Leader

I wish somebody can hear our cry! South Africa needs a leader. We need a leader that we as young people when we travel the length and breath of the world and we are asked about our president we are proud to mention his name without having to defend him because of his past scandals. We need a leader who is not going to force us to explain that he must be forgiven because he made mistakes and has asked people to forgive him. We wish we can have a leader who will not call other political players dead snakes. A leader who will not in his presence have people pronouncing that they will take arms for him and only reprimand those people five days after when people start condemning those remarks. We wish we can have a leader who will not dodge the law and try to prolong his case to allow him to march to the Union Buildings with dark clouds over his head. Oh! We ask for a leader who will not cry that there is a political conspiracy against him and never come up to show it; a leader who will instil confidence in us! A leader who will understand that our constitution is more important that a political party.

We need a leader who will enter any debate on policy without us fearing that he might say something embarrassing because of lack of understanding of the global economic and political conditions. We also deserve a leader who has spine, who does not go to people in business and say policies will remain the same and two hours later fly to rural communities and tell them that policies will change and favour them. We ask for a leader who will not create a police state, a leader who will not allow people to go back to the old enemy of people called tribalism. We are not interested in a 100% Pedi,

Afrikaner or Venda but a 100% South African! No leader should belong to an organisation that calls people dogs, cockroaches and dead snakes; an organisation that kill scorpions because they have 95% success rate. We wish we can have a leader who will realise that whether by luck or misfortune his desire to be a leader has been tainted by everything that has surrounded him and do the honourable thing; withdraw his candidacy. The leader we want is the one that says laws must bite for everyone including politicians and that no political solutions should ever be granted for an individual. We are very fortunate that finally Terror Lekota has emerged as a better leader who has stood the test of time. We now call upon Terror never to allow himself to fall into a category of leaders that we close our ears when they speak.

In defence of democracy

Loyiso Phantshwa and Paul Hjul

COPE Rhodes Interim Branch Structure.

Letter to the Youth

Dear comrades

We live in interesting times; recently we have seen the initiative by former defence minister and former chairperson of the ANC. It has become a shock to some but one thing that we should note as young democrats is that issues raised by comrade Lekota in his letter to comrade Gwede Mantashe are legitimate. It has been long time since we spoke about these issues. Since Polokwane, some sections of the organisation have been severely excluded in the decisions of the organisation; a culture that is foreign from the ANC. The removal of the former president was the last stroke. We are expected to comply with this regardless of our views. We are told that NEC decisions are final and therefore we should respect them, but how do you feel then when a member of the NEC calls her fellow comrades 'Dogs'? When the president of the oldest liberation movement calls his fellow comrades dead snakes? A secretary general of ANC occupying such a position that was once occupied by the likes of Alfred Nzo and Water Sisulu calls his fellow comrades wild dogs. Recently we have also seen the president of the ANC Youth League comrade Malema portraying himself as a master of ANC history and its struggle, his disrespect for elders and except for his master comrade Zuma is terrifying.

In this kind of environment I saw it fit that I communicate to you

This message as a way of saying I am aware that not all young people are represented by the image of Malema and many of you also would not wish to associated with the kind of leadership that we now see in the ANC. I therefore wish to plead with you fully aware that this is a tough call to consider defending the constitution and the supremacy of the law. A party has been born out of concerns with the current ANC state of affairs and I therefore appeal to you to take note of what this party provides to you as young people and as the say goes as future leaders. The reality is that we are extremely disappointed with the ANC leadership now and perhaps time has come that we consider Shikota as an alternative.

The new party led by Terror is called Congress of the People {COP} and it provides an opportunity for us to engage and formulate policies as to the direction of the country and possible reforms of the electoral system and importantly to advance the principles of Freedom Charter.

This party emphasises values and morals in the discourse of politics, it reminds us that before we venture into politics we must first be grounded into the values of our humanity and never call other comrade's dogs.

As a result you are all invited to avail yourself for COP, registration for this new party is ongoing secondly, a new youth wing will be formed early next year and your participation will be important. This coming Sunday 16 November comrade Shilowa and Nosimo

Balindlela will be addressing hundreds of people in the Grahamstown

City hall at 3pm. You are all welcome.

In defence of democracy!

Loyiso Phantshwa & Paul Hjul

phantshwa@webmail.co.za

0838990427