Politics is too serious a matter to be left to politicians alone

Let me just say upfront that I do not claim originality on the heading, I heard or read it somewhere. I just watched Election Debates on SABC 2 and was enthralled. The points made were good, mostly. And then I saw Mr Ngcebetsha - speaking on behalf of Cope. I was just about to get all sanctimonious and judgemental when I remembered what Dr Mangcu once wrote, or is it once said: people are complex and are able to hold conflicting values and positions in one head. Ok I defer to my grandmother on that one. She says nothing defines you more than the company you keep. Confused? Allow me . . .

Mr Ngcebetsha once was in bed with one Fagan, an attorney plying his trade in the US of A, a specialist in all matters class action like. This time, the idea was to make all multi-national companies which conducted business in SA during the dark apartheid days, pay some trillion US dollars for their role in the subjugation of South African citizens. Well, that litigation is doing its rounds around the US courts, the last I heard it was thrown back to the trial court by the US Supreme Court which incidentally, could not get a quorum of judges (6) to hear the matter because a whole lot of them excused themselves on the basis that they held shares in the companies concerned. What does this have to do with election debates? I concede, nothing?! I apologise. Anyway, it appears that Mr Ngcebetsha now speaks on behalf of Cope. Will he still support the likes of cases he and Fagan sought to bring? That in the face of the TRC?

Anyway, I should not judge a party by the company it keeps or should I? This promptly reminded me of a certain Mr Marais who is also apparently a Cope member, if the news are anything to go by. Once again, it's the company you keep in my book.

Back to the debates, the honourable Surty did do his best to duck the figuritive shoes that were being hurled at him. It was classic, when asked about the things the ANC government was meant to have done a term or two ago, he pointed out that there is in fact a meeting to deal with that very issue, next week. Don't blame the man, you would all have read about the letter he received from one Judge Hlophe, who has now had enough of gardening leave and wants to go back to dispensing justice, which is what he was doing before he was rudely interrupted by those guys who wear green dresses.

All in all, this is riveting TV and I implore all you thousands of South Africans who read this blog to go out there and get involved in the politics of your country. Especially now that getting involved does not mean toyi-toying and shouting slogans - or does it. Anyways, get involved, get the government you deserve.

Whatever you do, do not leave politics to this lot alone.