Wherever I go, people ask me about GOOD's plans to contest local government elections in October, and our approach to fixing municipalities.
They are nauseated by the ruling party's weaknesses and corruption, but also sick and tired of the official opposition's dishonesty and baaskap.
Many see them both as sinking ships, relics of the past ill-equipped to contribute to the national task of building a better and more inclusive future. They are on the lookout for something better, for signs of GOOD.
Among the most common things I'm asked is whether GOOD has had enough time, given that it is still just two-years-old, to be able to make a difference. When Noah began building his ark, he would have faced similar questions
We have certain advantages, chief among them the fact that there are GOOD people in every community across the country. Some are teachers, lawyers, entrepreneurs, farmworkers, and some are unemployed. They include an excellent sprinkling of progressive young minds.
These are the people we have been interviewing with a view to representing their communities. We want to change the model of local government representativity by making our councillors directly accountable to their communities rather than to the party.
GOOD may be young, but it is not inexperienced in local government. We understand with great clarity that local government is about local people and local neighbourhoods, and creating environments that contribute to justice.
Justice that rights the social, spatial, economic and environmental wrongs inherited from the past.
We reject the old party's approach to using municipalities as dumping grounds to deploy second and third-rate cadres not good enough to serve as MPs or MPLs. Instead of serving the people and communities they're meant to represent, they become voting cattle – puppets of their parties' puppet masters.
The "million dollar question" is how many GOOD councillors do we need in order to be able to make a difference. There are certain councils we believe we can win, and others where we believe GOOD councillors will serve as opposition.
How many GOOD people does it take to change a lightbulb? Just one. In each council we have a seat that councillor will be charged with making a measurable local impact.
We are saying to GOOD people they must lend us their votes for five years.
If they fail to impress they must be voted out. That's what I believe accountable public service is all about.
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