The press releases and media invites are now coming through thick and fast. My inbox is clogged with turgid invites to the opening of some or other facility, the introduction of some obliquely-named initiative or sod-turning ceremony for... well.. anything. Election fever is well and truly with us. But with the malaise that this feverish season brings with it also comes a very obvious question: Why all of a sudden are we seeing things happening? By this I mean, service delivery. Surely the 5 years between general elections should see regular, consistent delivery of houses, electricity, water and sanitation by all spheres of government. So, why suddenly when votes are needed does it seem service delivery is intensified? I've lost count of the number of housing initiatives which have apparently been rolled out over the past few weeks. I can't keep track of the invites being dispatched daily of events where everything from PCs to solar energy panels are being liberally handed out. The cynic in me still asks: Are these real services being implemented or is it all just window-dressing? I can't help but wonder if they are nothing more but flimsy, superficial gestures aimed at fooling the masses into believing the powers that be, whoever they are, are actually fulfilling their mandates without the maddening allure of elections and the desperate rush to clinch the hearts and minds of voters.
Don't bother asking the politicians at these events why suddenly things are appearing. Expect the usual piffle and rhetoric; awkward attempts at explaining why delivery is being expedited when it seems almost non-existent between polls.
There's no escaping the ugly truth that comes with the result of non-delivery. Just turn on the TV and radio, open a newspaper, log onto a news web site; the stories of violent protests are all the indication you need that all is certainly not well.
Around election time you'll notice reporters rightfully focusing heavily on community stories. In other words, instead of just covering mind-numbing electioneering events and the skulduggery which usually characterizes politics, journalists will also give the regular people the chance to tell their stories. It's a perfect opportunity for the regular nobodies of society - the shack dwellers, the unemployed, the ratepayers, the average citizens - to voice their grievances (and every so often even their praises) over the everyday issues of life. "Where are they when we really need them?" is usually the stand out question you'll hear in sound bytes and TV news inserts from communities who feel marginalized, except when politicians need their votes. "They only help us when they need our votes!" is another lament which becomes more uncomfortably acute over elections.
Once the dust has settled after the May 7 polls, I'll again cynically expect the politicians to return to what so many of them do best - very little. Their "hard work" of electioneering will be done. The ballots will have been counted, victory speeches will have been delivered, the damage control from bruising losses will have been done. And sadly reality will also return - the reality of poverty, joblessness and corruption. Sluggish to non-existent service delivery will again probably become the norm. Hyena politicians will continue cannibalizing the meagre resources of the country and the voices of so many of the already disenfranchised will again fall on deaf ears... that is until the next elections.
