The Failures of the ANC
The African National Congress has been in power in this country since 1994. I think it is general consensus that they have not lived up to expectations, and there are many problems with our government. Among these is languor, corruption and of course, cadre deployment. But other than the disappointments locally, I think one of the lasting legacies of the ANC will be the complete lack of action across our borders.
Robert Mugabe has been the dictator of Zimbabwe since 31st December 1987. In those 24 years he has reduced Zimbabwe from being the breadbasket of Africa, a country with the highest literacy rate in Africa and a currency equal in value to the US dollar, to a failed state. Zimbabwe now has widespread famine, the 4th highest HIV rate in the world, a cholera epidemic and an inflation rate of, wait for it, 516 QUINTILLION PERCENT!!!
You may think this has nothing to do with us in South Africa. Yes, it’s sad, but not really our problem. But the reality is that it’s very much our problem. Due to everything that’s going on in their home country, and the lax security at our borders, there are now about 7000 Zimbabweans crossing the border into South Africa each day. There are an estimated 2 million Zimbabweans currently living in our country. And let’s face it- they aren’t exactly the cream of the crop either. They are for the most part unskilled labour, and with our unemployment rate currently sitting at 25.2%, they are stealing low-skilled jobs from South African citizens. I deplore racism and xenophobia, but that is not to say I don’t sympathise with the locals who conducted the 2008 xenophobic attacks.
What has happened in Zimbabwe is not the ANC’s fault. But their inability to deal with the problem, and their policy of “quiet diplomacy” has meant that Robert Mugabe has been able to continue his ruthless campaign of terror and destruction. South Africa is the powerhouse in Africa, and if they had imposed sanctions and travel restrictions on Mugabe and his cronies, and pressured the UN and other international powers to do the same, there would have at least been a chance of improvement. Instead, Mugabe is allowed to continue his rule unabated. Instead of Jacob Zuma publicly denouncing Zanu-PF and their policies, we are faced with pictures of JZ and Bob embracing and sharing jokes at summits that Bob should be barred from attending.
The only African leader who has any balls on this issue is Ian Khama, president of Botswana. He has stated that he refuses to sit at the same table as a murderer. Unfortunately, Botswana does not have nearly the same clout internationally as South Africa, and while Khama’s stance is commendable, the sad fact is that it’s not enough. To effect any change, South Africa, which can be read as the ANC, needs to put its foot down and say enough is enough. We need to support Morgan Tsvangarai and his MDC, and we need to be the change we wish to see. A little cliché to end it off. Why Not.
Well written. As a political commentator you'd need to be careful about how you express your 'sympathy' with xenophobic South Africans. The stance of most mainstream media is zero sympathy with xenophobia, so careful wording is nb! Perhaps sympathy with their frustration, not their actions. 69
ReplyDelete