There is a gentle breeze blowing in Johannesburg and it is being well received.
Hawkers once populated the sidewalks, forcing passengers to use the streets in competition with minibus taxis. The stench of fear that once lingered in Hillbrow is subsiding and the city seems to be in stages of repair.
It is the will to work that seems to be the problem, not the means.
Many have said that it is the G20 summit that has pre-empted the clean-up projects, others believe it is the upcoming elections that might change the course of the ANC’s existence, or its dominance in South African politics.
The bottom line is that something has prompted the clean-up.
While we are very grateful as citizens, to what extent are we expected to show this gratitude when it is exactly what we voted for?
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This is the clear sign that we have been looking for, to see if our government can work and the answer is glaring, yes it can and it does work.
The next question then becomes why there needs to be an activation for the wheels to turn? Why is the non-functioning more apparent than the functioning?
Why are we meant to celebrate streets being cleaned when they should have been clean to begin with?
The CBDs have become a survival test, where only the brave will venture. This is possibly the reason malls flourish, because at the very least they are palatable compared to the chaos that reigns in the CBD.
Some say it is migrants who disregard the laws of the land, others say it is government that failed to regulate its own streets and constituencies.
But one thing is certain – we watched our cities die in front of our eyes – to a large extent we also asked ourselves, when we saw it, where are our leaders, why are they not seeing the same thing as us, the voters?
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The state of South Africa, when one takes the time to look at it microscopically, has remained unchanged. For one born at the end of apartheid, at the very brink of the possibilities of democracy – the state of the nation is demoralising.
If we remember that feeling going into the voting booth, we would remember the power that resided in voting rights.
No matter the reason for the clean-up, be it the G20 Summit, the looming elections or even a rebuttal of ActionSA’s show of strength in Tshwane – our government can do the work and the will is what may be lacking.
We ought to remember this going into any voting booth.
We must hold our government accountable.
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