Is SA the next Zimbabwe? Of late I must admit this has needled me quite a bit and I’m sure this question has crossed the minds of fellow South Africans.
There are those who insist this will never happen. This school of thought is based on the fact that we love this country too much to believe this could be true. The other school of thought is yes, we are. We are the next Zimbabwe. This is based on observing what transpired in Zimbabwe and what we now see in South Africa. This is further evidenced by the fact that the ruling party has lost all sense of responsibility, accountability, integrity, involvement and moral high ground.
Enough has been said about the ANC proposal to muzzle the media. At the core of this “proposal” is the need to strike fear at those who dare to point out the obvious. This “proposal” needs to be thrown in the rubbish bin where it belongs. This will not unfortunately stop future attempts. So, yes, SA is the next Zimbabwe. Here is the proof.
Holly shit! Who comes up with this rubbish? Do the authors of such documents actually believe what they write? Who are they? Who gets to edit and approve it?
ANC: “While there is broad agreement about the pillars of an equitable development strategy, some key debates remain. These debates relate to the balance of power and ow nership, including the potential of nationalisation; the function of narrow BEE, in the sense of measures that require businesses or the state to finance individual black ow ners; whether short-run capital inflows should be taxed; how to overcome apartheid settlement patterns; how to shape a developmental state that can carry out a systematic development strategy; and w hat monetary policy is needed to support more equitable growth.”
LN: What? Oh yeah, silly me, this is what is meant. How silly of me to think that ramble had anything to do with actually the millions of South Africans who live under the poverty line.
ANC: “South Africa’s deep inequalities result from the exclusionary and divided economic and social systems established under apartheid. These systems privileged a minority by depriving the majority of access to assets, including land and finance; quality education and certified skills; decent government services; and access to market institutions. They aimed both to reduce the majority to poorly paid w age labour and to limit migration into the cities. That in turn provided more opportunities and state resources for the minority.”
LN: Really? Really? The ANC has had the opportunity to do something about this since 1994 but have not as it is more important to line the politically connected pockets. Has service delivery improved since 1994? Since 1994 do we have improved roads, schools, housing and health? My old Lower Primary in Emdeni, Soweto, school still has no windows? It still has a coal stove in the centre of the room. Really?
ANC: “Food insecurity is not only a rural question, since a large proportion of seriously hungry people live in the metropolitan areas, especially Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni, Cape Tow n and OR Tambo. However, there are rural dimensions, w here for example, rural households pay more for the same food basket than in the urban areas. Addressing household food and nutrition security is an extremely low cost way of underpinning livelihoods, well being and developmental growth. It will help bring down the future costs of health care and improve education outcomes. Inclusive growth is impossible without it. Solutions w ill involve a combination of social and economic interventions – including industrial interventions for food fortification and supplementation, food storage, food production, and pricing through the value chain.”
LN: It therefore makes sense not to do anything about it because soon the people will make the run for private property ala Zimbabwe and by then it will be too late.
ANC: “Strengthening the asset base of poor communities and households by providing housing and infrastructure w ith an emphasis on urban densification.”
LN: What is wrong with this?
ANC: Making big private business more socially accountable, for instance through competition policy, by amending the Companies Act to support greater transparency and broaden representation on boards of directors, and by requiring greater transparency and accountability from SOEs and DFIs.
LN: So, my private company has to be socially accountable? What does that mean? Do I start a company to be socially accountable or maximise profit? See a pattern here with Zimbabwe? Capital flight?
ANC: “Discouraging conspicuous consumption by the rich through taxes on luxuries such as highpow ered cars and homes as well as consistent messaging and leadership by example by the government and the Alliance.”
LN: Since when does any government/party have the right to dictate taste or want? Do we see a pattern here to our neighbour, Zimbabwe? It would be great, however, if we could have leadership by example.
Excuse my rant. I could go on and on about the content of the document but you should take time to read it. If you read this ANC paper and think to yourself “we are going to hell in a hand basket!” you are not alone.
Dear Lucky – well put! I despair working with mining problems and water problems. Daily we are losing water and food security because of inaction and Khulubese Zuma and his colleagues. I had hoped, foolishly, that the struggle won, would have changed things. Sadly it has not done so. I recall my studies of Soviet Russia and the wipe out of the kulaks in a very harsh winter. It seems that we are doing something similar here
the link is broken
“Discouraging conspicuous consumption by the rich through taxes on luxuries such as highpow ered cars and homes as well as consistent messaging and leadership by example by the government and the Alliance.”
That’s rich, particularly considering the sums spent on cars by ministers, the stays in Five Star Hotels etc. etc.
Great rant. I could add to it in volumes but will stick with one point which is heading us all to wholesale disaster, Zimbabwefication or not. The ANC is actually encouraging more people to come to the already overburned cities? Have they totally lost their minds? Are their no city planning specialists amongst the presidential advisors? Once they succeed in forcing the whole 47(8) Billion into a few small areas who will then be able to sort out health, education or crime in these areas? Not to forget the fact that one of these cities is also biological hotspot with species that appear nowhere else in the world. Then, of course, who will claim all that lovely rural land, not being used anymore. I bet we are looking at a new generation of land baron that will make Piet Koornhof look empoverished. It is time the people in the rural areas are made aware of the riches they have and that their government is busy robbing them of this. What I would not give for a farm in any of the rural areas! But then, I have to buy this land since I’m not a landgrabber.
The very basis of proof is some traceability – where does this article come from? You fail to mention the source – whether its Wikileaks etc – also note in the case of Wikileaks, effort is made to ensure credibility of source..
Clicking on your references, give the following response:
“We’re sorry. The web address you requested is not a functioning page on the current ANC’s website.
Please click “here” to visit the home page.”
Going to the following click, gives no result either. Something wrong with my system? Or has the ANC removed the said sites?
This is scary stuff ! And we are all guilty to have our heads stuck in the sand playing ostrich !
It would sound outrageous to say that we might have reached zimbabwe level some years ago. But the area they (zim) have not explored is to embarrass a sitting president in front of international guests, and his ousting before hte end of his term in office. All this by members of his own party.
While expropriation is rampant, their president has never ducked corruption charges preferred against him. Yes the Mugabe surname does appear in few cases of enrichment, but not as his country’s counterpart, just within 2years in office.
Education level must be one better than ours, judging by the number of qualified people cleaning our gardens. At least the cabinet boast a higher number of educated ministers than ours.
A number of paralels can also be drawn. The one that jumps to mind is the land grab by ministers, as compared to the corruption allegations against our public representatives. Unless, of course, morality is equated with legality.
Ours is a legal democracy, but it takes a high level of morality to be a public servant.
Why can’t I open the links?
That you can and do think & write this piece gives me (a slightly nervous, middle-aged, white farmer)some hope. You have actually given me a lift today with this, thank you.
Most South Africans think it will never happen, just as most Zimbabweans thought they would always be the richest independent African country south of the Equator, with the best infrastructure and agriculture.
It exploded in Zimbabwe when Mugabe realised he was losing power. In South Africa, where the ANC collectively has more power than any one person, it is unlikely that the same pattern will be repeated. Instead look to the USSR.
There does seem a risk that faction fighting within the ANC, over access to fundamentally corrupt wealth, may cause a rapid meltdown. This fear leads to a tightening of state controls, KGB style.
At the same time the corrupt practises ultimately drag down the economy — it is what happened in the USSR where party families sapped the strength of the country. That took 40 years from the rebuilding after WW2. Will one multi-millionaire child be enough for the Zumas?
Or will the need to get even more riches lead to an explosion rather than a slow decline? In any case I am afraid that wordsmiths will only be able to record, the politically connected are already out of the reach of ordinary people, just as they were in the USSR.
We certainly won’t become ‘another Zimbabwe’…. The country’s different, the demographics and diversity are different, and our political evolution took a different path.
However, the antics of our public servants since the Polokwane ‘coup’ are indeed disturbing, ever more so as time passes.
There’s more than one way for things to turn out badly!
Mismanagement and greed made Zim what it was pre-power-sharing deal. We have both aplenty.
When I told my Zim lodger that analysts are beginning to forecast a return to food inflation and higher interest rates, he sniggered: ‘Wait until this bunch has R1 000 in their hand and finds it won’t pay for a loaf of bread.’ With wheat shortages expected, he hit the nail on the head. Sadly, we’ve learnt nothing good from Zim; it all has to do with greed and mismanagement.
I am a SA’n and have worked and lived in Zimbabwe for the last 6 years.I go home every 5 weeks so am able to do regularc comparrisons.It took Magabe 20 years to screw up Zim.The ANC has screwed up SA badly in 15 years so give them another 15 years and we will be another version as here.The thought pattern of the indigious people in Southen Africa seems to be the same.The lack of government lodgic,commen sense,guilt and shame is astounding.It is contagious because I see SA business thinking and starting to do the same to there customers. If you can, pack up and abandon SA now just like the german jews did in 1939 before its to late.Either that and stick around and take your chances.
Mike.
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It has unfortunately been removed from the site however, if you Google it ‘ANC economic.pdf’, there are sites out there that were crawled and still have it.
Here is one,
http://groups.google.com/group/yclsa-eom-forum/browse_thread/thread/8dbcc56bb4ea3adf/47b3181192545959
Ditto on the links either they didn’t exist and this is a piece of lubricious satire, or someone faster witted than we can imagine has removed the link… If the latter i am impressed.
Perry is right – demographics are important.
The middle classes in SA are made up of all races and can be counted in the millions – they are the ones with “something to lose”.
Well over a quarter of a million of these are middle aged males with good quality military training.
Could we turn into Zimbabwe?
Highly unlikely in my view.
Could we turn into Argentina or Thailand?
Possibly.
Thanks Lucky!!!! proves point that “they” have quickly removed this article, doesn’t it?!
Very good article. I am a like minded citizen. The problem is that a large portion of South Africans are oblivious to civil obediance and common sense when it comes to the ruling party.
We need to put pressure on oppositions parties to take more action on issues hi-lited.
All applicable South Africans need to change from a culture of entitlement to one of accountability. It will be a different country if this could be achieved.
Hi Lucky
I am impressed by your pluck. I gather that you had a role in the struggle and, if so, it must require intellectual courage to speak as you do.
What I do not get in your posts is this: what is to be done about it?
Well said, Lucky.
I’m surprised that we haven’t had a knee-jerk ANC arse-lick response from our good friend Dave Harris on this post. He’s probably still trying to think of a way to call you a racist!
What can be done? Get people educated on the graft and rubbish that is going on. People have the power of the vote. There is nobody who living in the township would vote for these clowns if shown and educated on things like
http://www.mg.co.za/article/2010-08-20-guptas-key-to-arcelormittal-deal
I cannot believe that as a people there is not a louder voice of disgust. This is making me sick!
isn’t part of the answer a massive voter education project to assure people that their vote is SECRET and that no amount of magic and muti can reveal how they voted?
Hi Lucky
Yeah,you have hit the nail on the head.The slide has begun but I am convinced that the demographics of SA will slow it down and might even prevent it going down the Zim way.So what can we do to ensure we turn our fortunes around.Firstly RESPECT all SAans as equals and discuss the way forward without looking for political opportunism.
Use every evenue to protest against govt abuse and greed.Remeber the colour of abuse and greed is neither green nor red.
Create social and political awareness the rest will come
I hear you Lucky. We need to stop acting like mushrooms and start standing up for justice. This is a great country but we’ve got to stop trying to look like a democracy but actually start being one.
It’s not the end. Things can still certainly change. We should still challenge the government of the day to keep their promises of freedom and equality. Every day, without fail, and the public at large will be the winner
I am a Zimbo who never imagined for a moment that Zim would ever be like Zambia and it’s Kwacha. It was fashionable during the early years of our ever-increasing rate of inflation to jockingly say that our then strong Zim$ would soon become a ZimKwacha. In no time, Zambians started getting insulted to even hear that we could ever have related our now useless Zim$ to their very strong Kwacha. Zimbabweans always wonder whether SA’s ever try to lean from this history. Good thing is you start having artilces like this, and it makes people start looking themselves in the mirror. Whether after doing so they go and do things differently is another matter. I still leave in hope, that SA will be different. Just travel to any country to your north and you will get so many free lessons on what not to do.
I don’t get. Should we be worried about becoming another Zimbabwe. Not in a million years. South Africa is South Africa and will remain so, no matter what.
We should rather spend our energies exploring possibilities and solutions for the problems/issues that we are faced with, rather than ponder about becoming like the Johnes’s.
The mostly white midle class is supposed to carry the burden for all of the ANCs economic adventurism. You can bet on it that they will not wait until they have been robbed of everything they own under some jingoistic pretext. It is inconceivably naive to talk about “applying pressure on the government”, or hoping that once poor people will realize that they are being robbed, they will not vote for the ANC. It is naive to think that they are going to vote for the DA. The ANC propaganda that labels the DA as the party of white privilege seems to be effective. We don’t even have an MDC with sizable black membersship.They will keep voting for the ANC even if the country goes down the drain. No one in his right mind wants this to happen, but it will, like it did in Zim.