BROKEN PROMISES
JONNY STEINBERG: ANC’s tale of redemption dissolves in an era of disbelief
In the hours before Cyril Ramaphosa’s speech at Buffalo Stadium last Saturday, a convoy of 23 luxury vehicles moved through East London, exhorting residents to come and hear the ANC’s new president speak. People thronged onto the streets to wave and cheer. Viewed from afar, it appeared as if the masses were celebrating their fresh leader and the renewal he promises. But for those who came in closer and listened to what the people on the streets were shouting, as the astute City Press journalists S’Thembile Cele and Leon Sadiki did, a very different picture emerges. "Niyangxola," a woman on the side of the road complained as the convoy passed. "You are making a noise." "Nisakhela nini izindlu?" another tossed in the air. "When are you building us houses?" A group of children chased after the convoy of fancy cars. "I want that one," one of the kids shouted to another. "Which one do you want?" If there is a fleeting encounter that captures the spirit of the times, it is surely this mom...
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