Chatted to an old friend last night, a struggle veteran who has never lost his perspective. He remains deeply connected inside the ruling political party. So provided the ideal opportunity for some fresh insight for those of us confused at the way South Africa seems to be lurching from one crisis to the next.
“It’s quite simple,” my friend offered. “When the ANC took over in 1994 there was great excitement about getting our hands on the most powerful economy on the continent. What nobody realised, it was an economy designed to support five million people – and we tried to put 50 million into it.”
He continued: “Then there’s greed of and the desire to show off possessions. And you now have an economy that is sliding, rulers who don’t know how to fix it, and in their frustration they’re running around trying to plug all the wrong holes, like the media and judiciary.”
So there you have it. Words from the inside. We the people really do need to change this lot. Soonest.
