With elections just two weeks away (eek! 😵), you’re probably getting all sorts of advice on how to choose where you put your X. Check the party’s policies. Read the manifestos. Do online quizzes to see who best aligns with your views and beliefs.
But… we’re not sure how useful all that is. That’s because what a politician says isn’t particularly useful. We all know they will say just about anything to get your vote. And policies and manifestos? Well, we’ve seen too many parties fail to hold true to their promised ideology and principles when it doesn’t suit them.
And, honestly, a lot of the policy and manifesto promises are a lot of hot air. Parties promising to bring back the death penalty, nationalise everything, change the Constitution, etc, are a little delulu to use a zillennial phrasing. Changing SA’s constitution requires at least two-thirds of parliament to be in agreement—that’s 267 seats. Changing the Bill of Rights needs 300. Most of the smallanyana parties promising to make big changes will be lucky if they get five seats.
So, how should you really test who you should vote for?
The best indication of how a person will act is not necessarily what they say but how they have acted in the past.
We suggest looking at political parties’ actual performance when they have been close to or in actual governing power.
This will be easy with the ANC and DA, but other parties have also been governing in power-sharing coalition agreements in municipalities and metros across the country. How did they perform? Do some Wikipedia-ing to figure out when the party you’re thinking of may have been in a governing role and where, and then use a site like Municipal Money to find out how they treated your money when they were there.
For those parties that have never contested, you can check the track record of the politicians involved when they were in previous parties. Rise Mzansi may be led by a man who has never been a politician, but it has recruited many politicians from existing parties. How have they performed previously in those roles?
It’s a bit of work, but it’s worth it. And it sure beats wading through all those manifestos. 😬
