Opposition necessary, but sometimes agreement needed more

Former president Jacob Zuma is an irresistible and charming man. At the height of his presidency, masses clapped at his every word and marvelled at his every step. But politics quickly change in SA, and in 2017 he became public enemy No 1. He was blamed for all the nation’s problems; economic, social and political.

At the forefront of the “Zuma Must Go” campaign were opposition political parties in parliament and civic groups. They profiled Zuma as a criminal who must not be trusted with the nation for another day. They picketed, organised marches and demonstrations. He stepped down in 2018.

The anti-Zuma movement subtly showed how contagious opposition is.

Moments that call for national patriotism are not hard to come by. In 2019 the Springboks won the World Cup in Japan. All of a sudden they were no longer representing only SA but carried all the aspirations of the continent.

However, before the Springboks had landed back home, some were already downplaying the Springbok victory and distancing themselves from it, calling it a white victory. This is a team led by a black captain, Siya Kolisi. Who can forget Makazole Mampimpi’s world-class performances, Lukhanyo Am’s consistency, Tendai Mtawarira’s reliability. Someone found no problem spoiling the party for them to fulfil the duty of opposition.

As we entered 2020 our dreams were shattered by the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. SA and the global community had to find quick solutions. President Cyril Ramaphosa has been confronted with a test of character and leadership he never imagined.

Ramaphosa and his cabinet sought expert advice leading to the declaration of the state of disaster and the subsequent national lockdown. The  World Health Organisation has strongly advised control in the movement of people to flatten the pandemic curve.

You would have expected the president’s decision to be well received and understood. It was not. Off the opposition went; a lockdown will kill the economy, is an infringement on individual rights to movement, will cause a mental disaster, mass deaths of the poor. Oppose, oppose and oppose.

A time of catastrophe of the  magnitude of Covid-19 calls for unity. To win, it is imperative that the nation pulls in one direction. Noticing the discord, Ramaphosa announced a R500bn economic stimulus package on April 21. The formal and informal sector, the employed and unemployed, everyone’s concern was attended to within the capability of state’s resources.

Many immediately commended Ramaphosa’s bravery and decisiveness in trying to save lives and protect livelihoods. However, dissent went up as quickly as praise. Where is that money going to come from? Borrowing is bad for the economy, the government has a lot of money that it has been hiding from people, were some of the sentimentsThe poisonous thing about discord is that you do not have to be many to disrupt, a single loose voice is enough to tarnish the work of a choir of a hundred.

Ramaphosa, his collective and patriotic South Africans have done their best to fight Covid-19 not for their own interests but for the public. In a very emotional speech on May 24, Ramaphosa  gave people what they want — access to alcohol, to gather for worship, and more freedom of movement. Even in compromising himself and giving people what they wanted,  he still found opposition.

The right of opposition cannot be denied and is guaranteed in the constitution. What is sad is the abuse of this constitutional institution by opposition parties who have recklessly embraced the letter of opposition and disregarded the spirit. They do not miss any opportunity to oppose, merits and facts do not count to them.

The power of opposition parties has brought down the mighty to the applause of the public, but where it has been applied wrongly it has drawn the nation backwards in times where going forward is the only option. It has sown divisions in times where unity is sacrosanct.

Tinashe Mutema is an economics graduate and an accounting student at the University of Fort Hare. He writes in his personal capacity.