Where have all the good politicians gone?

One of the most prevalent narratives at the moment is that all politicians are corrupt, lazy and self-serving. Rarely do I write a column without someone lashing out at the governing party and politicians in general in the comment sections.

Of course, there are a lot of reasons to be disappointed, angry and frustrated in our politicians, and I also often despair.

However, every now and then, I must reflect on these matters and acknowledge that it is a crude generalisation and that it is not all doom and gloom.

Last week was such an occasion.

I was standing next to a waste filled canal in a dangerous area called Hazendal in Cape Town. In the canal, with dirty sewage filled water swirling around their wellington boots, were a group of politicians of different parties – all deeply committed to protecting the environment. 

I was very moved by it. Afterall, it’s not every day that you see elected members of the ANC, UDM, EFF and DA working together on anything.

Yet, there they were -  all picking up plastic in the howling easter – to raise awareness around the impact of single use plastic on our waterways.  

Earlier this year, this group of politicians established a forum called South African Legislators for the Environment - SALE for short. The aim of SALE is to create a platform where legislators can set aside their party-political differences to find consensus on issues affecting the environment.

Given the increasingly fractious nature of our politics this was really something extraordinary. 

I have had the privilege to spend some time with this group of politicians and I have to say, they have been a timely reminder, that there are still a lot of good politicians left. They work hard, very hard. They sit in portfolio meetings – sometimes for 12 hours at a time.

They crisscross the country to get public input into legislation and they go to numerous briefings to try and understand the often very complex issues of the environment. In between they take what seems to be endless calls from constituents who need their help.

Having travelled with them, I have seen how they often work till way after midnight and then report that they were back on their laptops at 5 am the next morning.

One of the things these politicians are now working on is how to reduce single use plastic in the environment.

South Africa generates approximately 2,371 thousand tonnes of plastic waste each year, of which only 14% (including imported waste) is recycled. Approximately 80,000 tonnes of plastic leaks into South Africa’s environment each year, with plastic pollution infiltrating and blocking water and drainage systems. This leads to increased flooding and spread of disease, harming biodiversity, and posing a threat to human health and the economy. Of course, a huge percentage of the plastic ending up the environment are single use plastic – which we can almost always do without.

South Africa is behind many of our African counterparts when it comes to regulating single use plastic. For example: more than 30 countries on the continent have a full or partial ban on single-use plastic bags. In the late 1990’s the then Minister of the Environment, Valli Moosa, brought in the plastic bag levy in the hope of reducing the use of single use plastic bags. Yet today bags are still being used and discarded at a totally unsustainable rate.

So, these MPs are now looking at ways of reducing these bags at source. This is just one example of some of the good work that is still being done by parliamentarians.

I know many politicians. Some are terrible people, but most of them just want to serve their country and constituents. Many can earn significantly more if they move into the private sector, but they choose not to, because they are committed to the work they do.

The problem is that these MPs rarely make the headlines. Instead, their colleagues who taint the whole political arena are the ones in the spotlight.

Of course, the party-political system often makes it difficult for committed politicians of all the parties to follow their consciences. Still, many succeed in negotiating the tricky road between party loyalty and service.

We must try to steer clear of crude generalisations. Not all Afrikaners are khaki wearing, braaivleis-loving people. Not all English people love the monarchy and not all Irish people like potatoes and Guinness.

Equally so, not all politicians are bad.

In fact, many truly dedicate their lives to the bigger good. This I was reminded of next to a dirty canal in Hazendal last week.