It seems politicians and political parties will try and confuse the public as much as possible with their contradictory positions and pronouncements on issues. It seems they are no longer guided by their beliefs, values, principles and policies anymore but by the need ‘shine’ at every opportunity.

I say this because I have been watching worrying contradictions coming from especially the DA (the ANC has its own program of contradiction and confusion as well) on the race issue, BEE, name changes, corruption etc.

On the one hand both Helen Zille and Lindi Mazibuko have been going on about how the DA doesn’t look at race when making appointments both in the party and in government. The DA has been boasting from every platform about being the most diverse political party in South Africa. Could we see the numbers please?

 They have been screaming from every available platform about how South Africans must look beyond race yet the same party is talking about its need to attract black voters. Why then can’t they just attract voters and not specifically black voters if they were so colourblind?

On BEE and AA, the DA’s position is even more confusing. While the party claims to recognize the imbalances of the past they put forward a very confusing and contradictory argument on how these can be corrected. I will be the first one to admit that BEE under the ANC has failed, dismally. But that does not diminish the need for transformation. how can you claim to be committed to correct a racially based problem if don’t look at race when making appointments? And where does this notion that AA appointments are not on merit comes from?

I cringe each time the DA pronounces on how each time they appoint a white person into a position, they say they only make appointments on merit. Are there no black people with merit (other than Mazibuko, of course)?

I was also confused by Helen Zille herself when she was being interviewed on SAFM’s Siki Mgabadeli Show recently. She spoke about how great it was that the recently elected DA parliamentary caucus leader was black, yet she was on the show to defend her attack on the DA MP who had dared raise the issue that Mazibuko had been supported by the DA leadership mainly for her blackness. Confusing.

While on the DA’s recent parliamentary caucus leadership election, it was totally contrary to the DA’s constant rhetoric of transparency and accountability that they flat refused to reveal the actual voting tally for the results. It would have been interesting to have seen the margin. 

Name changes are still a sore point in South Africa so many years into democracy. It’s still amazing that black people have to face, daily, immensely offensive names like Pretoria because most white people, through mostly the DA, feel that changing such names erodes their history. It’s their history indeed, but are they proud of it? Confusing though that just the other day the City of Cape Town made a few name changes themselves using the names of Suzman and Mandela. The DA has been vehemently opposed to a number of name changes around the country saying some of them were a waste of money that could be used for service delivery. Didn’t they need the money for service delivery in Cape Town?

The most confusing though has been the DA’s response to the Public Protector’s findings on the allegations of mismanagement and corruption at the DA run Midvaal Municipality. The Public Protector found that there has been indeed instances of maladministration and mismanagement but could find no evidence of corruption. 

Now let’s rewind a bit. The Public Protector recently came to the same conclusion with regards to the infamous lease scandals and that led to the firing of the Public Works Minister and the suspension of the National Police Commissioner by President Zuma. She found instances of maladministration, mismanagement and improper influence but could found no evidence of corruption.

What is confusing for me here is the the contradictory response from the DA and the media generally to the two. The DA was quick to point out in the Lease Scandal instance that finding no evidence of corruption does not mean no corruption. But it seems now with the Midvaal instance that finding no evidence of corruption means no corruption. Confusing.

The DA will be haunted very soon also by the regular popping up of Ryan Coetzee name in places where, judging by the DA’s pronouncements, he shouldn’t be. The DA has always advocated for politicians not to sit on tender committees and job interviews but the DA Strategist and Advisor to Helen pops up at these with so regularly you’d think the DA has changed its policy on the matter.

Of course the politics of contradiction and confusion is not unique to the DA. It seems most of our political parties thrive on it.