Cape Town - Social Cohesion and Development veteran activist Lorenzo Davids has released a public plea, calling on South African politicians to refrain from mimicking the behaviour of superstars as they walk the red carpet at this year’s Sona.
Davids, who is also the CEO of the Development Impact Fund and The Justice Fund, made the call on his social media platforms, calling on South Africans to join him in appealing to the better nature of politicians who will be attending President Cyril Ramaphosa’s State of the Nation Address (Sona) on Thursday.
In his social media post, published on Tuesday, Davids wrote that ordinary South Africans could no longer align their values of being there to uplift the country “with the disgraceful and raucous opulence of politicians” who tend to dress like fashion icons as they walk the red carpet like stars instead of “as servants of the people".
A call to the media houses covering SONA.@eNCA @Newzroom405 @SABCNews @TheCapeArgus @News24 @METROFMSA @CapeTalk @Radio702 @Die_Burger @CapeTimesSA pic.twitter.com/X08FUxLoko
— Lorenzo Davids (@UrbanLo) February 7, 2023
Speaking to the Cape Argus, Davids doubled down on his sentiments about the conduct of some South African politicians when they attend the Sona, saying that despite knowing the hunger and harsh reality millions of South Africans are facing, politicians choose to show off their privilege in the face of the poor.
Davids said: “Millions of South Africans tune in to watch the president address the nation during the Sona. We tune in to hear and see what he and his departments have in store for us, expecting to hear how essential issues such as economic development and the energy crisis will be resolved.
“Instead, we are treated to fashion parades and out-of-touch commentary from the very people who are supposed to understand, more so, our current disastrous state. There are thousands of people suffering from food insecurity, millions unemployed, and businesses suffering due to load shedding, and yet we are to see those meant to champion our causes dolled up in glamorous clothes? It’s insulting, quite frankly.
“So, this year I decided they needed to know how we felt about their antics. To hold them up to the standard they have since forgotten.
“As South Africans, we do not want to see and know ‘who’ they will be wearing on the night. That’s not what they are there for, and we want them to honour and respect us even as we watch from home.
Davids said he wanted to hear commentary about what the country’s members of Parliament and the government expect to hear from President Ramaphosa and how they intend to turn around South Africa’s worrying state for the betterment of its citizens, especially the most vulnerable.
“There’s a lot I want to hear from this year’s Sona. As South Africans, we need economic development, the growth of our state, and to have the right and qualified people put in positions to lead more,” he said.
Davids also called on international and national media covering Sona 2023 to refrain from focusing on what politicians are wearing, but instead on their thoughts and plans for the future of the country.
He said: “We are in a precarious state, with load shedding, bad investments and violence wreaking havoc in our society. These points we want to be addressed and highlighted because ultimately they are the underlying problems to many of the issues our society is broken by – unemployment, crime, violence and crippled infrastructure.”