Mailbox: Why South Africans are more amenable to capitalism than socialism

Key topics.South Africa's political future uncertain, torn between capitalism and socialism.State interference and over-regulation harm business growth and job creation.The country needs decisive ideological clarity to ensure economic prosperity..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 at 5:30am weekdays. Register here..The seventh BizNews Conference, BNC#7, is to be held in Hermanus from March 11 to 13, 2025. The 2025 BizNews Conference is designed to provide an excellent opportunity for members of the BizNews community to interact directly with the keynote speakers, old (and new) friends from previous BNC events – and to interact with members of the BizNews team. Register for BNC#7 here..If you prefer WhatsApp for updates, sign up for the BizNews channel here..By Plaatjie Mashego .I am of the opinion, that South Africans of all races are extremely concerned. Worried about this country, in many ways. I am personally worried, about where our politicians are leading us to. There is even no clear road map, to where we are going. Is this country on the path of capitalism, socialism, communism, somewhere in between socialism and capitalism, or simply fumbling in between all these ideologies? At some point, and as quickly as tomorrow, our country needs to have a decisive answer. It must imdicate a clear position, that will not send out mixed signals. The time to hide themselves behind an index finger is definitively over. I therefore understand, what may be infuriating Mr Hersov, and many others similarly situated. In my view, he has definitely not gone overboard. I genuinely respect the honesty with which people in his position freely express their views without the incitement of violence and hatred..Opinions from people such as Mr Hersov should be taken very seriously. The warning is that this country is clearly going down the drain. There is a myriad of examples, that can attest to this. He argues, that South Africa is not investable, not now, and not in the near future. Meaning that local and foreign direct investments have to think twice before they commit any investments. So-called socialists and communists in this country might be saying, 'We don't care about their investments'. However, polls can indicate, without a shadow of a doubt, that the majority in this country are just as worried as Mr Hersov is. This includes the business sector, concerned workers, the unemployed, politicians, academics, and many others. This country needs to go back, to the drawing board. There have clearly been, good intentions in our new democracy. We all welcomed every effort, to address the legacies of colonialism and apartheid. But, somewhere somehow, we simply lost the plot. Precisely because we allowed so-called socialists and communists, such as in the SACP, COSATU, and their puppet academics and analysts, albeit with no mandate to do so, to radically interfere with genuine policies. Through this, they were able to dictate their own future to the rest of us in this country. And all of this is done in the name of being progressive. Everything became radicalised, into Marxist philosophy..Read more: Political hypocrisy in SA: Elites preach socialism, live capitalism – Andrew Kenny.Today, we are sitting on a pile of trash. And our economy has been the hardest hit. Regulation after regulation has been pursued in the name of redistribution. There has been a wrong assumption, peddled by so-called socialists and communists, that white businesses are eternally abusive and, therefore, enrich themselves through exploiting so-called black workers. This Marxist agenda and propaganda, has resulted in what we see today. Therefore, any state interference and over-regulation of the labour market is not in line with free market principles. And our state, as the lead implementor of these policies, has effectively stifled every ability for the economy to grow. Our leaders know about this but simply choose to ignore any opposing views. It is the 'We don't care' attitude, so long as it hits hard, on white business'. And it's unfortunate that so-called black businesses also feel the brunt. Therefore, these so-called progressive policies have unintended consequences. This has resulted in many businesses, both white and black, closing down. Today, we are sitting with rising rates of unemployment, poverty, corruption, and crime, and the list is endless. There is no doubt, if you truly believe in the free market system, that state interference in the economy, has the potential to harm business, and especially small business ability, to create wealth and jobs. .There is no doubt that so-called policies such as the BEE and the expropriation of land have a critical role to play in the history of this country. I do not see any offence for them to find expression in the legislation. Contrary to Mr Hersov, this is not theft. The problem with these policies is in allowing so-called socialists and communists to dictate their direction. And the majority of such policies end up benefiting the very leaders of the so-called socialists and communists than the poor. On the other hand, the principle of the willing buyer and willing seller continues to be frustrated by landowners, the majority of whom are white. They complicate the process, thus giving credibility, to opponents of the principle. It's just not fair to inflate land prices, thus making it impossible for the state to intervene. The voices of Mr Hersov and many others in the white communities must also be able to speak out against such unwarranted tendencies..I do not agree with Mr Hersov when he says universities that continue to produce graduates in political studies are wasting time. It certainly could be a waste of time if the number of these graduates is not commensurate with the rate of growth of our economy. And it's true that our economy is not growing well enough to absorb the majority of, new graduates. I am one such person, who truly feels embarrassed. I graduated in political studies and ended up unemployed. I wish I had studied something else. It's not that this government is not aware that they need to focus their attention more on STEM courses. What, then, can you expect from a government that is unsure of where it stands, whether it fully subscribes to capitalism, socialism, or communism? Adopting an in-between stance has not been helpful for emerging economies in Africa..My friendly advice for Mr Hersov and anyone who shares the same view is that in politics, we have voters, not morons. People vote for the ANC, either do so, because they love it, they have no genuine alternative, and so forth. It may take an arm and a leg to convince such people to vote otherwise. And to convince them to vote differently can happen without branding them otherwise. And the same can be true, for staunch members in the DA, EFF, IFP, ACDP, UDM, PAC, FF etc. An organization such as the ANC has invested years of political mobilisation and resources in order to be where it is today. And therefore, there is nothing stopping any other political parties from doing the same. There is no other magic to this. Therefore, it's not true that the ANC has achieved nothing since it assumed power. This is regardless of the systemic corruption, underpinning its governance. The many legacies of apartheid, continue to be addressed by the ANC. There is today more access, to houses, drinking water, sanitation, brick schools, social grants, etc. So Mr Hersov, or anyone in their right mind, can never dismiss such progress as not being an achievement. Let us learn to give credit, where it is due. .In conclusion, Mr Hersov remarks on SA-born billionaires, who he says are living in this country with no intention of coming back. If this economy has managed to produce such billionaires, we therefore need to be confident, that we can do more. The decision by Mr Hersov to re-invest in this country should be a wakeup call to many others. South Africa has to be decisive, in its ideological stance. It is clear that the majority of this country yearns to be wealthy, prosperous and working en-mass. Where else can you find progress regarding these essential ideals, if not in a capitalist, neo-liberal and free market environment? So, all the vestiges of the so-called socialists and communists rhetoric must clear our path: the time to play mind games with the lives and futures of our unsuspecting people is over. We can no longer afford to import untested ideologies. Its better the enemy you know (capitalism), than one that you hardly know (socialism and communism)..Read also:.🔒 RW Johnson: The inevitable fate of African liberation partiesRob Hersov calls for a capitalist reawakening: "Capitalism works, Socialism doesn't"Rob Hersov: Why capitalism works and socialism does not

Mailbox: Why South Africans are more amenable to capitalism than socialism

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