Alec Hogg: Upside to South Africa’s chaos

When you're in the middle of a storm, it's hard to see past the moment. Instead, one battens down the hatches, prioritising survival until a new dawn breaks..The chaos in KZN is very personal for those who live there – evidenced through communications with those of us raised in the province. We are hearing from family and friends under unprecedented pressure. Suddenly our loved ones are spending their nights serving their communities. Ordinary folk have been mobilised into defending property against potential attacks from hordes of looters. On the flip side, having been left to fend for themselves, law-abiding citizens are already questioning the sense of paying taxes to those conspicuously absent during their hour of need..Over the past couple days I've also interviewed some who predicted what is now unfolding. The biggest surprise is their shared optimism which shines through towards the end of the interviews. Famously Casandric Frans Cronje says he is now genuinely excited about the future of SA. Impressive Piet le Roux of Sakeliga says this is a watershed with civil society filling the vacuum of a dysfunctional governance system. Equally up-beat Connie Mulder, who heads Solidarity's Research Institute, speaks of the emergence of a new social structure emerging, a federalist country of what he calls "communities of communities"..___STEADY_PAYWALL___.Invest some time in having a listen to those interviews by clicking on the links – they're the perfect antidote to the stress-inducing optics now overwhelming our senses. If you doubt the future they paint, consider this email that hit my inbox this morning from community member Norah Wingreen: "Important to mention positive aspects of the unrest yesterday. In East London, the taxi drivers helped prevent the looting of Vincent Park Centre. In Durban, Glenwood community prevented access to University. In PMB, community prevented destruction of last shopping mall." Green shoots perhaps, but certainly notable..The unrest is also sure to awaken those of our community members who have not yet sufficiently diversified their assets offshore. Portugal is a popular investment destination with the added appeal of an EU Golden Visa. We've got a webinar on the subject at noon today where I'll host Sable's Andrew Rissik and MorningBridge investment director Ceri John. Open to all, but you need to register beforehand – here's the link..While domestic issues are naturally occupying our minds, it's comforting to realise the rest of the world is getting on with life as usual. In the US, big banks are reporting profit surges as the economy returns to post-pandemic normality; Thailand has joined Indonesia, Bahrain and numerous South American countries in questioning the efficacy of Chinese covid vaccines (message for Pretoria, we hope); but the SA riots are featured once more in the Wall Street Journal this morning – as is Critical Race Theory..NB FOR YOUR WALL STREET JOURNAL ACCESS….As a Premium subscriber you are entitled to full membership of wsj.com (normal price $29 a month). Be sure to action your access through the Premium link on the BizNews website. Because of The Wall Street Journal's credential requirements, be sure to create a password which has at least 8 characters and includes at least one letter and one number – NB it MAY NOT contain any special characters (ie #, !, @ etc). To maintain access to WSJ.com, you MUST enter our partner's website via BizNews Premium at least once a month. A final PS, if you had previously signed up for WSJ you'll need to clear the cookies from your device. Our help desk can assist – support@biznews.com.

Alec Hogg: Upside to South Africa’s chaos

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