Never Trust a Smiling Cat

President Zuma replied yesterday to the matters raised during the SONA debate, but not really.  Smiling broadly, and sniggering as usual, the President assured the country and the world that everything was fine in the Rainbow Nation, and everything would continue to be fine.  He and his fellow Blacks would continue to love all of their fellow citizens, all of whom are South Africans with equal rights.  Racism does not exist.  Blah, blah, blah.

Any thinking South African, Black, Brown, Yellow or White will know the truth.  Zuma and his cronies are in power first and foremost to steal the country blind.  That has been established as a fact by the finding of the Public Protector, who stated unequivocally that Zuma had benefitted unduly from the upgrades to his private residence.  Zuma still owes the public a statement from him personally, not through spokesmen or ‘investigating committees’, and the public awaits that in March, a year after it was demanded by the Public Protector, without much hope, let it be said, that it will be frank, honest or adequate.  Numerous members of the ANC have been found to have cheated on the public or stolen from the institutions which they were entrusted to manage, and hundreds more will be exposed when a new Government takes over and institutes a comprehensive investigation into the doings of the ANC members now in charge. 

And therein lies the second imperative of the ANC under Zuma.  They cannot afford to allow any other party, except, perhaps the sycophantic IFP, to gain control of the investigative and prosecutorial bodies of Government.  That would be a disaster for those ANC members who have been lining their pockets and their Swiss bank accounts with public money, and who have used their positions of power to gain shareholdings and lucrative directorships in many of the companies that were previously viewed by the public as examples of business honesty.  In that regard, it will be interesting to see how many of the Black directors of listed companies retain those directorships after the change of Government.  The displacing of those men and women will be a testing time for the companies, as it becomes clear who was appointed director for his or her business acumen, and who for their political connections.  That will certainly be a subject for writers analysing the extent of the moral corruption of South African society under the ANC rule.

The State of the Nation furore has highlighted the discontent of a large proportion of the thinking public with the incompetence and corruption that has become endemic under ANC rule, and which has intensified under Zuma’s presidency.  All of the questions raised during the State of the Nation debate remain open.  The rather stupid speech by Lynn Brown, Minister of Energy, was purposely padded with meaningless words and asides to enable her to avoid answering questions about the Russian contract for the nuclear future of the country, a contract which was vigorously denied when it was first reported but which has been published on the Russian Government’s website.  The other Ministers, in their speeches of glorification of Zuma were equally uninformative in answering the many questions that have been raised.  Numerous other matters of grave concern to the country were not raised during that debate, such as the flight of major South African companies, the withdrawal of investment funds by wealthy and average citizens alike, the striking off the list of South Africa as a feasible investment destination by substantial foreign investors, the brain drain, of Whites and Blacks alike, young people with skills who cannot see any future for themselves in this kleptocracy and more mature people with skills and vast experience, who foresee the ultimate collapse of the economy, all people desperately needed in the country, who now turn their capabilities against the country, the abject failure of public corporations like Eskom, SAA, SABC and others, which exist solely by bleeding the public purse, the dishonesty of SARS, which has been used to promote the wealth of the senior ANC members, the rise and acceptance of systems like the new Apartheid, the ascendancy of the South African Communist Party, the radicalisation of the trade unions, which have no clue about how a modern economy works, the massive increase in riotous public protests demanding that their concerns and needs be met now. 

With all the smiling reassurances given by the President in his ‘response’ to the debate, many serious concerns still exist.  The electrical supply remains in a state of crisis.  The use of armed Policemen to remove innocent Members of Parliament remains a serious breach of the sanctity of Parliament.  The use of a cell phone jamming device in the Chamber is a clear infringement of the Constitution.  The arrest of non-demonstrating supporters of the Opposition outside Parliament can only be an unlawful act designed to intimidate people and Parties exercising their rights under the Constitution.  The conduct of the Speaker remains biased and unparliamentary.  The Black Empowerment legislation continues the Apartheid policies against which the ANC claims to stand.  The continuing high levels of incompetence in the public service and the publicly-owned corporations continues to waste both money and opportunity.  The rate of unemployment remains at more than three times the level of most Western countries.  The list goes on and on.

And through it all, Zuma shows his glee.  He has gone from insolvent to staggeringly wealthy, at the expense of the public.  He smiles through our adversity, while he plots the next stupidity.

Garfield said it clearly.  Never trust a smiling cat.