This article is by no means an endorsement of any party, nor is it an indication of who I will be voting for. It is just a brief word about how impressed I am with Trevor Manuel, and that the opposition parties and leaders might want to take a leaf out of his book. You know, when it comes to the basics – manners and all that..

Trevor Manuel
Last night at The Vineyard Hotel

There have been three occasions over the past month or so, that I have had dealings with political parties/leaders. I wanted to donate some money to a few parties, in support of the democratic process and began doing a bit of my own research.

The first was Helen Zille from the DA, who I had a booked and double-confirmed appointment with, following meetings with her people beforehand who expressed excitement for the meeting and potential donation. She pulled out a day before our meeting and promised to reschedule. I have not heard from her since.

Ironically, her paid-for DA Google ads appear all over 2oceansvibe from time to time.

The second was Terror Lekota, leader of COPE, who was scheduled to speak at Kelvin Grove a few weeks back. We organised a table of 10 and paid whatever it was for the privilege. Terror didn’t arrive and, instead, sent one of his lackeys. Most of us left after starters were served.

The third and last interaction I had with people of politics in the recent past, was with Trevor Manuel last night at The Vineyard Hotel, Claremont. Although visibly not well, he arrived on time, gave a brilliantly eloquent, insightful and humourous speech; then followed up with about an hour of questions. All of which he answered perfectly, satisfying the generally affluent, potentially non-ANC supporting audience.

As I said, this is not an endorsement of the ANC – it is a mere observation and report on my recent experiences. Trevor Manuel, as a person, did not let me down. He was even available afterwards for a handshake and a few private words. This guy is a pro in every sense of the word and I strongly urge his peers and colleagues to watch closely and maybe you’ll learn a thing or two.

Will the aforementioned events sway my vote or not? I don’t know – I guess I will only know when I’m standing at the booth on April 22nd.

What I do know is that there is more to winning an election than having a Twitter account and blaring traditional music from a double decker bus at 8am on a public holiday.