BNC#8: Hersov on Trump resets the world order, China and the ANC’s “strategic blunder”

At BNC#8, Rob Hersov delivers a fiery keynote, arguing that South Africa is drifting dangerously off course as the global balance of power shifts back toward the West. From America’s renewed dominance to China’s cracks and Russia’s weakness, Hersov warns that the ANC has aligned with the wrong players at the worst possible time. His message is blunt: geopolitical reality is changing fast, and South Africa risks paying a heavy price for ignoring it..Sign up for your early morning brew of the BizNews Insider to keep you up to speed with the content that matters. The newsletter will land in your inbox every morning on weekdays. Register here.Support South Africa's bastion of independent journalism, offering balanced insights on investments, business, and the political economy, by joining BizNews Premium. Register here.If you prefer WhatsApp for updates, sign up to the BizNews channel here..Watch here:.Listen here:.Edited transcript of the keynote speech.At that conference Alec mentioned, I said something. I said if you’re still voting ANC, you’re a moron. And I got hell for it.But I’m going to double down today.If you’re still voting ANC, you’re not only a moron - you hate South Africa.Because what Ambassador Bozell said yesterday matters. America is running out of patience with South Africa. And South Africa is now a top ten priority.Think about that.And corporate South Africans still aren’t standing up and telling the truth. Around the braai, they talk. But they don’t call it out publicly. And that’s been the problem for years.My wife said to me, please make a sensible speech this year.I was going to start by saying Trump can do no wrong. But I won’t.Instead, I did something simple. I asked: list the 20 most impressive things Trump has done. It’s an unbelievable list. Then list the failures. You struggle to get past four.That tells you something.Trump is resetting the world order.Russia is weak.China is cracking.America is strong.And once again, the ANC has chosen the losing side.Let me tell you the real truth.Trump and the West are winning. Strategically, militarily, economically, psychologically.The big idea we’ve been fed for years - that America is finished, the West is declining, and some new order is taking over - it’s collapsing in real time.And for South Africa, that’s going to be expensive.Because the ANC backed the wrong side. And the bill is coming.For years we were told America is in decline, China is the future, Russia is resurgent, BRICs is the new centre.It all sounded clever.It was rubbish.People confused noise with power.When things get real — war, energy, shipping, money — the same truth comes back.America sits at the centre of the chessboard.People say we should be unaligned.I don’t agree.We should be aligned with the West. The civilisation we believe in.Because the West still has the capital, the alliances, the military strength, the technology.That’s not ideology. That’s reality.Let’s talk about Russia.Russia is not a superpower. It’s a weak, corrupt petro-state with nuclear weapons.Its economy is about the size of Spain. It relies on commodities. It has weak industry, bad demographics, and governance that looks like mafia politics with flags.And in Ukraine, it’s losing by not winning.That’s not strength.China is more serious. But it’s not invincible.Its growth came from property and exports. Both are under pressure.There are tens of millions of empty homes. Entire cities standing empty. The property model is in trouble.Exports are under pressure. Confidence is weak. Youth unemployment is high. Money is leaving. The population is shrinking.China matters. But it’s not ten foot tall.Now look at America.Reserve currency. Deep capital markets. Energy. Technology. Military.And something important — it can correct itself.It looks messy, but it keeps producing strength.There’s also a shift in how it operates.It’s not trying to remake the world anymore.It targets, hits, reshapes behaviour, and moves on.That’s the new approach.And it’s working.The next big race isn’t oil.It’s AI. It’s semiconductors.And that system is still controlled by the West.China is behind.That’s where real power sits now.This idea that BRICs is going to replace the West — it’s not happening.They can cause problems, yes. But they can’t build something better.America is still the central power.Now bring it back home.If there was an Olympic event for geopolitical idiocy, the ANC would be on the podium.They’ve alienated friends. Chosen the wrong partners. Turned away opportunity.And the reality is simple.South Africa needs the West more than the West needs South Africa.But the ANC thinks there’s no price for that.There is.Russia won’t save them.China won’t save them.BRICs won’t save them.So here’s the bottom line.The world is resetting.America is winning.Russia is weak.China is under pressure.And South Africa has chosen the wrong side.That’s not strategy.That’s vandalism with diplomatic credentials.

BNC#8: Hersov on Trump resets the world order, China and the ANC’s “strategic blunder”

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