On 7 May, if you registered, you have an opportunity that you get only once every five years: To choose your Government.

Many voters feel a debt of gratitude to the ANC for being a major force for the end of Apartheid, though not the only one (as some like to put forward).  Sadly, the ANC no longer has the principled leadership it had two decades ago.  Would Madiba have failed to notice a quarter of a billion Rand of state money spent on his private home?  And then have the gall to claim he had not benefited? Would Oliver Tambo have accepted an ANC Government perpetrating another Sharpeville at Marikana?  Would Chris Hani have gone along with eTolls?

Some believe that the ANC will "recall" Jacob Zuma after the election.  Really?  Notice how entrenched his cronies are –they have even been deployed to the Parliamentary Committee that has now sidelined the Public Protector's report– and you cannot possibly believe that!

Today's corrupt ANC is like an abusive spouse: As long as you, the voter, out of your past love, keep forgiving the abuse, it will continue.

It is time to say, "Enough!"

Let us become a proper democracy, where voters vote on the merits of the party, not out of a past loyalty that is not requited, or from racial fear.

What other party merits your votes?

Not voting, or spoiling your ballot, means that you will have no voice in your future. Other people will decide for you.

Smaller parties are an option, but a fragmentary one: Each party gets one seat in Parliament for every quarter of one percent of the total vote that it gets.

The EFF has an economic model based on a failed state, Zimbabwe, and a leader who cannot explain his wealth –wealth that clashes vividly with his professed interest in the poor.

The Democratic Alliance has a track record of improving the Western Cape, Cape Town, and numerous other municipalities including the now most prosperous one in Gauteng, Midvaal.  Where the DA governs, it has opened tender processes to the public, broadened BEE, boosted employment, got clean audits, and spent tax money wisely to better effect than previous ANC administrations.

Those who claim that the DA is a "white party", are living in the past.  Today's DA is the party most representative of the demographics of South Africa, both in its membership and, increasingly, in its leadership.

The choice of Provincial Government for Gauteng is a rare responsibility.  Here it is possible to bring the sitting ANC under 50% if every voter makes the effort.

Give the DA a chance: In the unlikely event that it disappoints, vote it out next time!

First-degree murder is the most serious kind, but first-degree burns are the least serious.

Green Tip by Samantha Derham: Sustainable Living II   Back to top

It will lead to personal internal conflict if you try to practice sustainability without first living a sustainable life. Meet your own needs (needs, not wants) before you can meet the needs of others and the environment. Although I have put the points below in order of importance according to my fairly educated opinion, it is important to stress that a balance of all 6 is in fact required for optimal health.

1. Get Enough Sleep – See last month's article.

2. Get More Relaxation while Awake

Meditation is a deliberate practice of awake relaxation in combination with conscious breathing; most people who do this have noticeably better health. Even if the normal process of meditation is not for you, then at least you need to find some time every day to just let you mind go wherever it wants to go.  Stop focusing on anything in particular, turn off all distractions (incredibly important in our social-media saturated lives), and just be. Staring at a blank or familiar object and consciously stopping thinking is a great way to start. If you take your cell phone to the toilet with you –stop it. That’s a great opportunity to allow your brain to do its own thing for a few minutes. Reading a book is fine as it gets the imagination going, but many people claim to have had their greatest ideas whilst sitting on the throne.

The next step is to deliberately breathe deeper and get more oxygen than one would normally get when focusing on something – especially when sitting, like you probably are right now. The idea of this is to let your conscious mind take a break and let your sub-conscious take the stage for a bit. It is during these times that we significantly reduce stress levels, we can think more clearly and realise what really is the most important thing to do next.  It’s during times of non-focused thinking that we most often have sudden realisations of how to solve our greatest challenges. Awake relaxation can even compensate for some lost sleep, and has been practiced by some of history’s greatest minds.

Point 3 in a following issue...  Read more by Samantha Derham at www.sustainabilitystuff.co.za.