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A promise made by the African National Congress (ANC) has the life expectancy of a soap bubble. It floats around for a few seconds, looks good at the outset, suddenly shatters in a thousand flecks, and is soon forgotten. Its value disintegrates as quickly as its shape.

ANC governments for the past twenty years have failed to fulfil the promise it made at the 2004 World Parks Congress in Durban. It declared then that communities living next to national parks and nature reserves should receive significant benefits from the natural resources of the protected areas.

For twenty years, these communities have received nothing. How much did you say an ANC promise is worth? Now twenty years later and on the precipice of losing its majority in Parliament, it suddenly remembers South Africa’s suffering poor people. How? It makes another promise - seventy days before a national election. Wouldn’t anyone be a touch suspicious?

Suddenly, the ANC wants to grow South Africa’s wildlife economy with massive benefits going to the area’s surrounding communities as well as the general public. No one will be left behind. Do you remember the old saying: “Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me?”

To demonstrate that they are serious this time, the ANC has given stakeholders fourteen days (!) to comment on the government’s ambitious initiative. In addition, the ANC is running a national workshop next week to polish the benefits that were promised twenty years ago, but never delivered! How’s that for an experience certain to frustrate and then disappoint the most dedicated of our citizens? 

We also have to wonder why President Cyril Ramaphosa failed to mention this massive wildlife programme in either his SONA speech or the ANC’s political manifesto? Were they embarrassed when they read that the UDM has been the only major political party that responded to the rural citizens’ appeal for significant benefits from naturals resources, in order to improve their well-being? Embarrassment doesn’t cut it anymore. South Africa clearly needs a new direction.

Issued by Bantu Holomisa, UDM President