Tragic, 20 years into our new democracy, we still argue about what is racism or what is not! Our people are more divided than ever before. We are completely obsessed with skin colour, worse than ever before in our history. While we squabble about who is African and who is not, we allow an utterly incompetent, corrupt, incapable, narcissistic government to destroy our country. While we quarrel about genetics, visual disparities between us and dermatological pigmentation, as if it is of any importance what so ever, we permit our country to turn into a cesspool.
We have more people living below the poverty line! The inhumane squatter camps without water, electricity and sewerage systems in, and around, our cities are growing at an alarming rate!
Government statisticians will take “the Census” to bend the truth and lie to us regarding the state of our nation, disregarding our daily experience living in this country. I suppose there are lies, damn lies and then statistics.
Politicians steal openly, and blatantly ignore the people in their selfish drive to obscene enrichment. Disregarding any statements of moral intent corruption, nepotism, “tender-preneurship” and dishonesty, are rampant and practiced openly without any consequences. The wealth pot is only available to those related to, or otherwise closely connected to the political masters of the day. The vulgar display of ill-begotten wealth should be our national flag.
Our towns and cities are falling apart, over-run by garbage, basic services are inaccessible and filthy and grimy public spaces and buildings are the norm. Local government officials are incapable, unqualified or simply unwilling and too lazy to do their jobs and deliver to the people what they should receive in terms of services.
Appropriate education and proper health care are only available to the very small percentage of the population that can afford it. Public transport is non-existent and all that is available has been abdicated to the mini-bus taxi industry that is unsafe, unreliable, and operates like a violent Mafia-style gang!
7 out of 10 woman in South Africa will be raped at least once in their lifetime, some more than that. Only 10% of those incidences of rape are reported to the police, because the community tend to protect the rapists and pour shame and scorn on the victims. Only 3% of that 10% will be prosecuted, of which less than 1% of that 3% will be prosecuted successfully, due to bungling, lacks and incompetent police work and an over burdened judicial system. Even then, some walks away with a slap on the wrist and a very light suspended sentence. In most countries rapists are given the death penalty or at least life without the possibility of parole, but in South Africa, rapists sit in taverns, shebeens, and pubs, bragging about their exploits as if it is a badge of honour! Rape is now our national sport!
As a husband, a son, a father of two daughters and a brother, this one fact fills me with fear and horror no words can describe.
We have a president with 5 wives, spending R2 billion of our tax money on his own private homestead. A public broadcaster that went from a profitable organisation to one that needs R3 billion annually to stay afloat, and the same with our national airline carrier. They however need R5 billion. Our trade balance use to be in positive figures, and now we sit with a R14 billion trade deficit. That while our children don’t have school books and our infant mortality rate is one of the highest in the world.
Labour-rights protests, in fact any protest of any kind is marked by violence, destruction of property and death, yet no-one takes any responsibility because the community and especially the labour leadership are eating from the same fattening pots as the politicians.
What went wrong? Who should we blame for this mess? Has democracy failed us miserably? Did we over the years simply voted sheepishly for a bunch of criminally corrupt liars? So, we all should carry the blame for the mess we are in!
How did the ANC go from a proud liberation organisation with a high moral leadership to this sick self obsessed diseased thing lead by people without any sense of honour, conscience, guilt or humanity!
Shouldn’t we all get of our lazy arses and start doing something about this!
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