“Africans are not a problem to Africa, it is the Europeans,” said former British prime minister Harold Macmillan on recognition of the winds of change sweeping across Africa in the 1960s. Macmillan was speaking from an informed colonial position. Europe had over decades set out to under develop Africa. It was by no accident that after the so-called independence of African countries from colonialism, we ended up with African ruffians and kleptomaniacs as rulers.
Colonialists ensured that credible Africans with genuine concern for the welfare and prosperity of the continent were eliminated and replaced with puppets. These credible African leaders posed a threat to the geopolitical and economic interests of colonialists. Patrice Lumumba of the Congo (later to become Zaire) was swiftly eliminated and replaced by corrupt dictator Mobutu Sese Seko, who was to serve the interests of the imperial West.
African countries gained their independence from colonial rule many moons ago but had never gained any independence from colonial subjugation and thuggery, which continues today. Africa’s resources continue to be pillaged by multinationals that contribute nothing to the social betterment of Africans or to their economic freedom.
Sese Seko ruled for more than 30 years, safely under the protection of the US and Belgium, which was to rape Zaire of its mineral resources, particularly uranium which is a key ingredient in the production of nuclear weapons. Zaire at the time produced 50% of the world’s supply of uranium, unsurprisingly most of which went to the US. The imperial powers had taken it upon themselves to eliminate, by any method, any African nationalist (mostly considered communists) whose purpose was to liberate Africa from the clutches of colonial influence and free African people from the degrading conditions of poverty.
A few countries like Libya and Algeria sought to secure wealth from its mineral resources. Colonel Gadaffi unapologetically took on the oil companies and forced them into making deals that were to benefit Libya and its people, rather than continue to serve imperialist interests. Not surprising that there had been a number of unsuccessful attempts to assassinate Gadaffi in order for the oil multinationals to wrest control of Libya’s oil under the rule of a puppet.
The West has been violently opposed to any attempts of nationalisation, particularly in mineral-rich African states. The offensive against communism was primarily born of the need to entrench capitalism, under which colonial thuggery could continue unabated and the brutal advancement of the geopolitical and economic interests of the imperial west. There was a case for nationalisation at some point, but looking at the current political and economic situation in South Africa, it cannot be justified. The ANC cannot even run a municipality. We cannot entrust them with running mines, which they want to nationalise. Nationalisation as an ideological pursuit and the means for expansion of patronage is futile. Nationalisation can only be justified in the interest of preserving the sustainability of an industry.
When you then look at South Africa you realise that the existence of entrenched poverty among black communities is not a mere accident of history but something that was planned. Apartheid simply meant that if you are black, quality education is of no importance to you. Apartheid architects had the absurd belief that the existence of blacks was to serve whites, to become labourers, gardeners, messengers and maids, effectively subjecting them to life on the island of abject poverty, amidst the vast sea of white opulence.
Whether you like it or not, apartheid is to blame for most of the problems that confront humanity today. Out of nothing comes nothing. Our present is born from the womb of the past. We cannot ignore such an indubitable truth. The vast income inequalities, illiteracy, poverty and so on are a direct consequence of the policies implemented in the past. And of course, the arduous task of reversing these structural imbalances is ours. The government has formulated appropriate policies but as with everything else a good policy is not good enough. It needs to be implemented effectively. That is where the ANC government has failed dismally.
Black Economic Empowerment has only served to benefit the politically connected and sycophants of the ruling class. The ordinary man on the street cannot even benefit from preferential procurement as corruption has presided over procurement practices in almost all government departments and municipalities.
Though we correctly apportion blame to apartheid and colonialism for our present situation, we should now, in equal measure, accept some blame for tolerating corrupt public officials who hamper national progress, for tolerating kleptomaniacs and dictators across the continent whose primary aim is to pillage their respective national resources while their people are subjected to an ignoble existence.
South Africa has entered an open looting season. Joel Netshithenzhe has said that the ANC is suffering from “phuma singene” syndrome (meaning — make way, it’s my turn). How does one explain the sudden rise of Khulubuse Zuma as the new kid on the BEE block? Where was he all this time? Jacob Zuma’s children are serving on the boards of well-established companies. What business experience do they have to qualify as non-executive directors? What value are they adding? Access to government contracts? How does one explain a serving minister benefiting from government tenders and the president seeing nothing wrong with it?
The priorities of Zuma’s government and his cronies are clear. It is self-enrichment first and all else shall follow. It is no surprise that they want to clamp down on the media and pass some ridiculous legislation that would enable them to classify government information. We may jump up and down, but what the ANC wants, the ANC does. We have seen that with the disbandment of the Scorpions.
Heaven helps us all!
Well written piece TM. But why your venom only for the Zuma family. The Sexale’s, Ramoposa’s, Mandelas, Mandela grand children ect all benefited.
“…apartheid is to blame for most of the problems that confront humanity today”.
Hmm did you mean religion? The world is a big place Sentletse. Emotive over-statements erode your credibility. Think before you type / re-type / submit for editing / publish.
Yep, Sentletse, the truth is frightening when stated with such clarity. Good one!
The point you make regarding the obliteration of credible indigenous leadership (by colonialists and apartheid government)is perhaps our greatest achilles heel today.
Those leaders, cut down in their prime, should have been the mentors of new leadership material. As it its the whole continent is left with one, single, pathetically aged leader-mentor in the form of Mandela. And he is swamped by criminals who masquerade as leaders.
This leadership vacuum is further exacerbated by our legacy of racial mistrust, which means that, however credible a leader Helen Zille might be, she will never be trusted enough to be allowed to make a difference.
Sad, really, how the sins of the fathers are always paid for by the next generation. And the next, and the next ….
You are right Sentletse, but before we embark on a programme of nationalisation we must ensure that we have a sufficient number of Highly skilled people to run the enterprises.
It’s nice to blame white people, but that’s kind of like the English blaming the Norman’s for their plight. In the end of the day it doesn’t matter who colonized you, it is entirely up to you to rise above that colonization. You can play the blame game for as long as you want, it will never help the people of Africa. If they want wealth, happiness and freedom from war they need to get those things themselves. Instead they hold out their hands to international donors.
I think these provide an interesting additional perspective that says that black leadership is actually to blame, not white colonialism.
http://www.dawodu.com/ogbunwezeh3.htm
and
http://www.jamiiforums.com/international-forum/4045-tatizo-la-afrika-by-mbeki.html
Sentletse, Your loathing for Zuma clouds your argument. We now know how you feel just stick to the discourse you are raising. It is a known fact that connection to the government of the day immediate family members, friends and those who can buy their way into presidential palace benefit. Having access to the state is a short cut to the reachies. It is not a Zuma phenomenon.
We can count a lot of former presidents’ friends and family members that have benefited in the past, not forgetting the Oppenheimers and many white business owners who bought their way into the resources of our country and sustained the Apartheid thus monopolizing our economy. This has made it very difficult for entrepreneurs of any race to compete fairly in our markets.
George W. Bush family had a conflict of interest through their involvement with Harken Energy Company. Was the attack on a number of the oil rich companies justified?
The notorious Mark Thatcher business dealings at the time that his mother was the Prime Minister were the subject of much press attention.
Etc.
A mature analysis, and I agree with you on almost all points. Africa should be wealthy, and it has been severely impoverished both by colonialism, and by rotten systems of internal governance – apartheid being a shocking case, and as you note there are lots of other very poor examples of tribalist, nepotistic, and elitist regimes right up to the present day. Africa’s great strength and glory lies in its people – as MacMillan said, Africa’s people are NOT its problem. Its governments, however, are. Until the old tyrannies are replaced not by new tryannies but by true freedom, nothing will change.
well said chief!!! lets get those intellectuals before we take on on the route of nationalisation. remember most of our government ministries are disfunctional due to the lack of necessary skills required to administer them; lack of supervision which resulted to incompetence
History has always had its victims. Now some cultures they pick themselves up and move forward, others look for contrived excuses to massage their egos.
Well you certainly didn’t hold back here. And for once, very rarely with you, I can say, I agree no holds barred. Yes, the ‘colonial legacy’ cannot be denied, but we, as Africans must start taking responsibility for where we have failed ourselves.
I think Macmillan was wrong. The problems of Africa are due to Africans themselves, not the colonialists.
The African countries that are the biggest shambles are those who have been independent the longest (Haiti 200 years) and Liberia (160 years). The situation of those countries are almost exactly the same and much worse than in South Africa which has only been free of ‘colonialism’ for 16 years.
In turn Singapore, under the brutal heel of British colonial thuggery up to 1964, is a clean, super efficient, corruption free technological society with forex reserves about 20 times the size of those of SA.
The excuse that the colonialists killed off all the credible leaders is bizarre, and points to Africans themselves being the problem.
You can see what 12 years of puppets in America has done. GOP has looted every end of the U.S. economy and left the taxpayers to pick up the mess. Until secret banking is eliminated democracies of the world stand no chance against the corporate puppet masters. Conservatives keep stripping education so that there are no critical thinking skills used at the ballot box , fear rules the election.
Sentletse – You seem to be suffering a crisis of faith and a change of heart. I sincerely hope good things come about as a result. Just one more step and you will realise how futile it is to carry on blaming guys long dead and gone for your suffering. I could develop a serious hatred of all thiefs as a result of my past experiences but will not allow myself to. All it achieves is to rob one of the power of commitment to become more successful at survival. I have said this before, often: Freedom is a state of mind. To this I will add: Development happens when people develop their natural talents into useful skills through education and practice. Colonialism happened. We cannot make it unhappen but we can learn from it, surely? It was not all bad, was it? When two cultures meet on a friendly basis there is always an exchange of knowledge which makes both stronger. We know that the colonials weren’t always interested in learning from Africa, so who actually emerged victorious in the end? Some people never learn to value what they have until they lose it.
” Nationalisation can only be justified in the interest of preserving the sustainability of an industry.”
No nationalization can also be justified in returning the ownership of the natural resources of a country to it rightful owners – its citizens.
“Black Economic Empowerment has only served to benefit the politically connected and sycophants of the ruling class”
Agreed, it mind boggling how the implementation under the Mbeki regime went off the tracks. An idea that was supposedly to empower blacks through ownership became a gravy train for a few. All this while the companies with the support of the DA have been running rings around the governments good faith attempts at Affirmative Action initiatives.
I suppose this is what happens when you have an absent president who spent most of his time overseas and ended up making us the laughing stock of the world with his stance on AIDS and his voting on the UN Security Council.
And btw. the ” disbandment of the Scorpions” was the result of Mbeki’s underhanded political games to cling to power for a third term!!!
Your bitter diatribe against President Zuma however, is somewhat nauseating.
I agree with everything you say. Even the second time!
Interesting take. I don’t agree with it as a whole, personally. I think that “colonialism” has gone the way of the dinosaur and is trotted out along with the race card every time we need a scapegoat, instead of addressing the root cause of the problem. Have we acheived everything possible for “democracy” free enterprise and are they now also going the way of the dinosaur? While I am sure there must be a better way of doing things, that will look after the little guy, without unfairly abusing the big guy, I’ve yet to understand how this may be acheived. I’m grateful to democracy and capitalism for giving me the opportunity to have a say in my destiny and how my efforts effect those around me. But I acknowledge that even though I think they are best “-ism”s out there for an individual, they do not ensure a level playing field for all. And that DOES mean all, as there are people of all races, creeds and religions who are being short changed. Let’s try figure out how we can make it better for EVERYone, not just a select few…
Hope you have a good day…
Although Europeans might be to blame for our (Africans) past and some of our present situation; it is time we all realised that it will be us, Africans, who are fully responsible for our future. Sometimes it seems to me that the people ho are in position to make the greatest changes for Africa’s future lack the imagination to do so.
Excellent article just before I start reading “The scramble for Africa”. Stripped from emotion, your facts are stated objectively and clearly. To these ‘sins’, I as a white SA afrikaans male will confess. How do I make amends? I work side by side with citizens like you who share a common vision and driven by that vision find common ground to impliment and carry out workable win win solutions.
Unfortunately the vision of the powers that be and the powers that want to be is not inspiring and is based on retribution and arrogance in stead of nation building.
Until we get inspirational leadership, you and I will have to go it alone.
Self pity and the blame game is a self destructive trap for both victim and victor. Africa signed the contracts with the multi-national mining companies and if the terms are unfair – change them. Mining companies, mine minerals and pay investors (who risk their capital)- not educate people, build houses, that’s Government job. SA has misspent much of its revenue on unnecessary arms, stadiums and bling, so its not more revenue needed from nationalization, but better management of existing resources.
So lets support the “Lead SA” initiative and make individual positive differences and hold people in charge (govt and business and private) to account. The present is in our hands, we can not change the past.
Heaven help us, indeed – did these people actually read what you wrote? The Zuma kids were just an example, James Bond… that was kinda the point of certain of his comments, truthbetold… he really, probably, doesn’t mean ‘heaven help us all’ quite as literally as you construe it, zach. Good grief!
Vote for someone else then…..!!!
Don’t blame Zuma or Mbeki on me and my kind. Mbeki was being trained to lead the country by the ANC before I was born. Zuma is undoubtedly the choice of black people. If this country can find itself well-led by mature and honest leaders within another 32 years, you will have done a better job than the white man, who was too apathetic to oust apartheid until De Klerk came along to help. That man, might I add, gave you a responsible start in Mandela. Pity we were not worthy of his value. It occurred to me last night that the present greed is such that South Africans cannot even wait for Mandela to die before reversing his best instincts, such as press freedom. For shame!
Hi Sentletse, you avoid mentioning how complicit Africa has been in it’s own destruction. The many cultural practises e.g. strong men tactics that destroy initiative and potential, and on a personal level, think Aids and violence. As for education, the three R’s might’ve been very basic but many people have done very well by extending those basics, Africans included. The ANC have been running SA for over 15 years now and we have money and resources. Why have they not made a much bigger impact on poverty and education? Fifteen years is a long time and much was possible. If you shun everything considered to be “Western thinking” without due consideration, you discover that you have to reinvent the wheel and that could take forever. As Mr Obama pointed out, the continent of Africa has missed many opportunities and unless there is change will miss many more. He seems to understand that she was a victim but she doesn’t have to be one anymore. The “benefits” should come with a price tag called “individual responsibility”. I think many leaders in Africa love the “bling-bling” but they tend to ignore that “other” thing. It’s up to the people to hold them accountable or accept that they will go under. By the way, if you look at something like Buddhism you learn that you might just be responsible too. Your heritage might only be that in this lifetime, so be kind and help if you can.
Mentioning Gadaffi as an example of a good African leader? Even though he is a dictator that came to power in a military coup? You must be really desperate.
Mtimande, just because some evil things were done in the past by various governments (of all colours and many countries) it doesn’t mean that it’s fine for that sort of thing to be happening today. You should learn from the past’s evils and stupidity, not try to copy it!
Remember Cheryl Carolus, some time ago already, saying that they’d “wanted to STOP the gravy train, not get on it”?
Dave Harris, nationalization never ever hands over ownership to “the citizens”. How brainwashedd can you be, it gives control to a very few ruling party elite leaders, no one else.
Better to give 51% + shares to Blacks, firstly the workers and then the non party poor with rules that they cant sell back to anyone but the company for 5 years. Why should the bigwigs of the ANC/SACP/COSATU be given effect control over entities they did not create?
Brent
Karen Lang
I doubt that you read the whole post by Sentletse otherwise you would have realised that he has not only blamed the colonialsts but also the African leaders who have failed to make hay out of such an immensely blessed continent. The problem is that we lack creative leaders. The ones we have are only bent on filling their stomachs and those of their wives, girl friends and friends. When a leader shows any creativity he is brought down by both our leaders and other formations with interests in Africa. Why Africans decide to participate in regime changes at the behest of those who have no interest in a prosperous African continent is an interesting twist to the tale. The greed of Africans has been our downfall and will continue to be so unless the crooks decide to behave
Sentletse. Your letter highlights the real Achilles heel of Africa. We Africans persist in regurgitating all the negative things from the past, desperate to blame somebody else for our predicament. Even if your assessment was spot on (which I would contest), what does it achieve?
- An apology from somebody on behalf of their grandfather? Maybe!
- Monetary compensation? Most unlikely!
- A solution to our predicaments? Definitely not!
- A new sense of hopelessness, that we Africans are all merely pawns of our history? Most certainly!
And the wheel of empowerment slips yet again.
I can also blame my parents for what I never became – they did it all wrong. But then they could simply blame their parents, etc. and absolutely nothing will improve. Only I, through determination, integrity, hard work and discipline, can make the difference and rise above the circumstances I was born into. We need more of those attributes in our culture to change the course of Africa’s history. Other nations have done it, why can’t we?
@Sentletse, this was a very good article but, you left out a very important part in your article. For one thing the problem facing Africa is they tried to trade off their natural resources for finished goods. This policy started during the slave trade and has continued until now. Africa should be building industries around their natural resources. For example, if country X produces cotton there should be textile mills to create jobs for the people and wealth. A country like Nigeria that produces oil should have a large chemical industry and refining their oil. Ethiopia has had the fasting growing economy in Africa because she has been building industries around her natural resources. Most of the governments in Africa have never tried to promote a private sector to manufacture finish goods.
Colonialism happened, that we cannot run away from It effects and affects can be seen in South Africa where we have some exiles running a country like they are a still in exile – but are enamored by the riches beyond their wildest dreams. The present rulers in South Africa intend on holding on to power, firstly by strangling and silencing the majority voters, and then bent of silencing the other minorities of other races. Now, there is no need to act like colonialism did not affect Africans, like Marley said: “He who feels it , knows it”. It is easy to tell those that have been colonized to forget and move on. History is important for it will help keep a record or what happened to a people. Africans have elected a predatory crew to run the government, and they are slowly learning that it does not serve their interests. The whites who ruled believed, in a way, that the ANC will come under their tutelage, only to find that they have an even meaner regime to deal with. The way I see it, it is up to the former colonizers in South Africa to begin to apprach the politics of the country differently. They need to form allIances with the regualr Africans and cast aside any biases and racist mind-set. This can be done by attending events organized by Africans and the White People should frequent the Townships more often, than hoLler and act-up their past perceptions, beliefs-biases.
This article and most of the blogs almost resemble an obituary.
Why don’t we all just get off our collective butts and fix the problems.
No one is going to heal the country except the inhabitants.
To blame the past has become a cop out.
Regarding the education issue:
I think too many white people (myself included) forget that the inequality of our education system hasn’t changed. Yes, we all write one exam now (with a lower standard than before), but the majority of schools have absolutely no resources and the teachers have been inadequately trained, so it really makes no difference.
I’m not talking about the nice schools our kids go to (pretty much all of us who read this blog can afford to send our kids to good schools, regardless of our race). I’m talking about the schools the poor kids go to, where the school fees are less than R500 per year. How can we honestly expect these kids to gain a better perspective on the African problem when they don’t even have a desk at which to study, or a properly educated teacher to challenge them?
It’s not like Apartheid ended, and suddenly there was this provision of services. A mass of superbly trained teachers didn’t suddenly make their way over to the ‘previously disadvantaged’ schools and start educating. Those schools are still disadvantaged!
Even if our government were to hop off the gravy train for long enough to deliver on their promises, it would be a long time before the effects were felt.
There is no quick fix. Let’s not be naive about it. We all need to do whatever small or big things we can to make this situation better in our lifetime.
I get why everybody is angry at only Zuma getting an earful, however, he is the president. He is “prime example”. If the president acts in such and such a way, then what is wrong if I do it? I think that is what the author is trying to say.
Nothing like observing white guilt in action its always a pleasure guys thanks. Sentletse awesome piece!
Excellent Aricle. There are two books which will shed much light on this debate:
“Capitalist Nigger: The Road to Success” asserts that the Black Race, is a consumer race and not a productive race. Says the author, Chika Onyeani, “We are a conquered race and it is utterly foolish for us to believe that we are independent. The Black Race depends on other communities for its culture, its language, its feeding, and its clothing.” “Despite enormous natural resources,” according to the author, “Blacks are economic slaves because they lack the “killer-instinct” and “devil-may-care” attitude of the Caucausian, as well as the “spider web economic mentality” of the Asian.”
Contrast this with “Confessions of an Economic Hitman” by John Perkins.
This is the inside story of how America turned from a respected republic into a feared empire.
“Economic hit men are highly paid professionals who cheat countries around the globe out of trillions of dollars. Their tools include fraudulent financial reports, rigged elections, payoffs, extortion, sex, and murder.”
It’s neither black nor white – but both.
To JB
Actually Africans are not stretching our hands to international donors. It’s actually England and the rest of Europe who continues to loot our material and cultural resources. The colonial countries never gave anything to the colonies but came to take whatever they could – and this continues to this day. So I say show me what has Europe got that has not been “aquired” elsewhere? If we withhold our resources, Europe will quickly starve!
@mgeve – “The way I see it, it is up to the former colonizers in South Africa” – What you are asking for is accountability. I’m afraid you are not going to get it, the racists (except for a few die-hards) seem all to have found safe-havens in other countries and even they were mostly 2n, 3rd, 4th, etc. generation in Africa, i.o.w. Africans. The rest? Gee, to beat up someone just because they look like the people who wronged you is very racist. If you leave it up to those former colonizers you are simply going to stay frustrated and angry, most unhelpful to you.
@fergie – Excellent points. I’d like to add, we do not need to always slavishly copy “Western” technology either, the more we work with higher tech, the more we will start contributing to human knowledge. Africa does not lack scientists, just a means to offer them world-class education and research grants to make the above happen.
The African situation from Cape to Cairo calls for a new political and socio/economic order. Africans should effectuate it and the international community can assist when/where and if asked. Attempts have been made in the past to change course, hopefully for better. When this change was ushered in, there was general acceptance on the part of the populations involved. I remember that when Ugandan ‘President For Life’, Idi Dada Amin overthrew President Obote, Kampala was shaking with crowd excitement. Champagne abounded and Uganda’s neighbors, particularly Tanzania applauded the event. Based on their ‘on the ground’ performance and in retrospect, military regimes, to a man/woman, proved to be a bitter and non panaceac approach to the percieved problems. Thus, one down. The entrenchment of ‘elected’ autocrats is painting the continent into a corner. The suggestion is in order that a new political and socioeconomic REVOLUTION is needed in Africa.
Is it not paradoxical that while the whole world rejects Apartheid, the predominant issue and demand everywhere is for ‘Separate Development’.
A secondary paradox applies ; The sin of Apartheid was forcing people to separate – the current imperative is to force people to integrate – Thereby the common denominator is FORCE not “Freedom”
Una
I read the post from top to bottom (that would be twice then) before I commented on it and I don’t accept that the problem is “only Africa’s leaders”. Leaders are not born in a vacuum. They reflect the values and desires of the people that elect them otherwise they would not be in power.
Karen Lang
Dirty and evil politicians internationally thrive on the ignorance of the masses. Africa is no different. Why is there a flight of African intellectuals from states that have disintergrated into intellectual hating looting hives? That explains it
Wow, brilliant deduction, what I see here is a highlight of the change of tactics of the europeans. Instead of replacing the leader of South Africa with a mindless puppet akin to the other African states, the europeans have gone out on a limb in South Africa, and replaced all the voters with mindless puppets, who then bring in the current mindless puppets leaders. Thats quite an achievement. My respect for the europeans paranormal abilities is growing. The whole of Africa’s problems are very simple and easy to fix. STOP Blaming everyone else, get the hell of your arse, and do something about it. Its not apartheid that is the problem, it is the perception of ourselves that is the problem. The government is doing what they are doing simply because we allow them to.
Amen!! Add to the list the Khoza’s, Motaung’s, Mandela’s (through Mandla), etc!!
@X Cepting most of the Africans that I have met think that the natural resources in Africa will last forever and they are rich. Many of them don’t realized that the resources have no value to them unless they are processed into finished goods.
Do us all a favour and write about the mass looting that occured under Thabo Mbeki
It is all wella nd good to say that we the citizens should not allow the government to continue with the lootihg, incompetence, and self-enrichment. What can we do about it, as long as the uneducated masses swallow empty promsies and blindly vote against their own interests? Yes, better education would be an answer, but the government controls the finantial aspects of education and it is not in their interest to have an enlightened citizenry that might vote them out of power. Incuidentally, even if the ANC were to be voted out, they will never relinquish power.