Monday 5 March 2018

Don't Count Your Chickens

It's been a long, hard battle, but he is finally gone. Jacob Zuma has been our most morally deficient President since die Groot Krokodil, and the most incompetent head of State we've ever had. He is replaced by an intelligent and thoughtful leader in Cyril Ramaphosa, a man who is not tainted by  corruption and other selfish and nefarious behaviours. But before we get carried away in our celebrations, let us remember that the end of Jacob Zuma is only respite, a milestone on the path to the actual goal: a free South Africa.

It is really a case of two steps forward, one step back. The end of Jacob Zuma is certainly something worth celebrating. In his almost nine-year tenure, economic growth has halted, unemployment has ballooned and criminals have run rampant. And these, only the results of neglect. We haven't even mentioned the proactive expansion of corruption and state capture. Ramaphosa will certainly put the brakes on the government's downward spiral, but he is unlikely to halt it. And I'll tell you why.

For a start, Ramaphosa supports several socially destructive policies, such as a minimum wage, free higher education and National Health Insurance. But this is not the worst of it.

As Mmusi Maimane said in his speech following Ramaphosa's election, the ANC that elected Ramaphosa, is the same ANC that elected Zuma and kept him in power through all the scandals. Remember that Ramaphosa only just won the ANC presidency and half the top 6 are or were Zuma supporters. The President does not make all decisions for himself. He is subject to the decisions of the top 6 and the NEC, as is clear from his recent cabinet announcement.Whilst many of the bad apples have been plucked away, some of the worst remain. And the most rotten of the lot has been added.

David Mabuza perfectly exemplifies the fact that even though Zuma is gone we are still in heaps of trouble. Mabuza is possibly worse than Zuma. In fact, is definitely worse than Zuma. For all his corruption and inefficiency, we've never heard of our former president killing his opponents. DD Mabuza has done so on several occasions. He is also tainted with corruption, specifically regarding the 2010 World Cup, but whistle-blowers never live to see the witness box. Click here for more on David Mabuza's scandals.

If Zuma were the beginning and end of our governance problems in South Africa the ANC would have got rid of him long ago. The truth is that the whole ANC is a problem. The loyalty to party above country is a problem. The commitment to unity over integrity is a problem. Ramaphosa can only do so much trying to serve God and Mammon. He cannot unite the ANC and simultaneously provide moral leadership. And the wheel will turn again and we will see the evil side of the ANC take over, in a period that could be worse than the Zuma years, unless we do to the whole ANC what has been done to Zuma.