NOXOLO SIBIYA | Throwing of T-shirts exposes tone deaf ANC

A distasteful video that came out of the ANC campaign trail in Inanda, KwaZulu-Natal, at the weekend, had me thinking about whether leaders have any regard for the people they claim to serve.

Like corn to chicken, T-shirts were thrown out of what looks like an ANC campaign truck to people who were along the side of the road and following the convoy in excitement.

Instead of the vehicles stopping and leaders handing out the T-shirts, they continued throwing them out.

In the video, one lady is seen chasing the convoy in an attempt to get a T-shirt but a man picks it up before she does.

She tries to fight him for it but he clings on to it, forcing her to gallop alongside the convoy once again as more T-shirts are thrown out.

With no regard for other passing vehicles, she and another person rush to get their T-shirts from the ground.

In my culture, it is forbidden to throw anything to anyone, regardless of their age, gender or status. It is seen as disrespectful, disregarding and dishonouring.

I find it distasteful that the very people whose votes the ANC had gone to ask for, were being treated like beggars.

That video screams "thatha nja" (take, you dog). I cringe watching it.

The ANC leaders could have stopped and handed the T-shirts to the few people that seemed so excited to get them. By the way, Inanda falls under the City of Ethekwini which is an ANC-led municipality. For all intents and purposes, these could be ANC voters who despite living in unpleasurable conditions, only wanted T-shirts.

There is clearly a demand for T-shirts and you have the supply, so why make them run after you? It's like the ANC is tone deaf.

Giving people dignity starts in the most simple way, with the premise being respect and consideration of individuals.

It reminds me of the fable of Joseph Stalin, former premier of the Soviet Union, who plucked out the feathers of a live chicken to show how he controlled the masses.

Despite the excruciating pain the chicken was in, when Stalin threw corn at it, the chicken came running to him to feed. It's a shame that people are put in desperate positions.

The areas political parties go to for their campaigns are impoverished and those communities see freebies as memorabilia and elections is the only time they get to see TV-famous politicians active in the communities.

The video to me is reflective of leaders who are far removed from the people so much so that not even a minute is spared just to hand over a T-shirt. And we expect them to hear us out when we have issues?

Whether or not the people picked up the T-shirts is irrelevant. It is the fact that the people were put in a position where they were made to beg that gets to me. There is a lack of basic of humanity.

Some argue that the convoy was on its way out and at the main event T-shirts would have been handed out. I say, for any leader, seeing that young lady running in desperation and fighting others just for a T-shirt, something in you should have been triggered.

Take two minutes, hand out the T-shirts and perhaps even squeeze in a "ningakhohlwa ukuvotela iANC mhla ka 29" (don't forget to vote for the ANC on the 29th). After all that is what they were there for... not the celebrity contest I was seeing.

The video is giving a "we [are] the elite, you [are] the poor" feeling – position many politicians have assumed which makes them seem out of touch with the realities of the people. I mean who drives a Mercedes G-wagon to an area where the fanciest car is probably a Toyota Corolla? Read the room.

What happened to the good old handshakes and conversing with the people? There's a famous picture of former president Thabo Mbeki plastering a mud house in the early 2000s. He too was campaigning. This picture spoke of humbleness and willingness to serve.

And while this year's elections come highly contested, if parties stuck to the basics, they would not be self-sabotaging.

But then again, I like it when people show us who they are.

sibiyan@sowetan.co.za