MESSAGE TO THE YOUTH OF SOUTH AFRICA
Published on Linkedin on March 19, 2016
The report card, since Mr Mandela’s inauguration 16 years ago, is abysmal. Despite
favourable worldwide economic conditions throughout this period and vastly improved
collections by the Fiscus (through more of the country’s emerging economically active
population contributing) progress on the above key issues has at best been pedestrian,
and at worst extremely regressive.
Our Parliament has been responsible for a litany of corrupt, self-serving and dubious
decisions including the Travel Scandal, the HIV/Aids Debacle, the Arms Deal cover up,
cover up of the Police Commissioner’s shady dealings, silent support of a neighbouring
tyrant, with the blood of his opponents still on his hands, turning of a blind eye on the
illegal immigration problem and the soaring incidence of crime, which takes its lead
from Parliament and infiltrates South African society, not only as an evil, but also as
an arrogant entitlement.
All the while, the silent voters of South Africa have patiently and respectfully continued
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to wait for the better life that they were promised 16 long years ago.
The audit trail also reveals crime, fraud and corruption amongst the new officers in
national and provincial spheres of government and serious insolvency and bankruptcy
in local government spheres. The legal system, as a result, is creaking under the strain
of trying to maintain justice. A Constitutional Court aspirant is currently under
suspicion of favouring a political contender and of accepting pecuniary inducement to
favour a commercial enterprise. The jury is still out on this one but the last bastion of
democracy, fair play and ‘good’ is about to be subverted. Watch this space.
In this regard, the moral stalwarts of the struggle, Madiba and Tutu, must be cringing
at the behaviour of some of their fellow countrymen. The newly appointed group of
leaders are not listening to their moral mentors, and should be setting the moral
example for the youth of South Africa.
These are the challenges that you young Democrats, of whatever colour and
persuasion, face in the not so new South Africa. Your challenge is not only to become
productive taxpayers, but also to ensure that state funds are honestly allocated and
used for upliftment of the poor, support of the infirm and aged, creation of self-
sufficiency in the country, creation of a stable business environment, honest
administration and so on. In pursuit of these moral objectives the perpetrators of
elitism, sloth, greed and the rest of that ugly family of vices, should be rooted out,
and voted out.
Icons of the struggle on the African continent against colonialism, racism, white
domination and cultural oppression are to be admired and revered – and then
committed to history. Their victories have been celebrated. The freedom that some
died for has been attained. Now the surviving heroes must graciously bow out and
hand over the spoils of war to the communities that they served.
They did not suffer for their own glorification and edification.
The history of Africa shows that when the oppressor leaves, he is replaced by an even
greater oppressor. In South Africa, colonialism was replaced by apartheid, which has
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been replaced by African nationalism. Sadly, African nationalism does not mean
devolution of power to the lowest common denominator, you the voting South African
citizen. African nationalism has shown itself in other African countries to be the worst
of the previous white regimes, merely dressed in an elite black face. Our closest
neighbour boasts a narrow, super-rich, black class that, whilst blaming former white
regimes, has plundered the coffers of the country to leave the once rich and fertile
country
of
Zimbabwe
starving,
bankrupt
and
bereft
of
hope
Before our all partying, all singing, all dancing former struggle heroes, now elite black
rulers, bask too long in the sun with their snouts in the trough, you ordinary voting
citizens of South Africa should point north and remind them of Africa’s shameful record
of black on black oppression. Remind them, instead of swapping war stories at the
country club over claret and grilled partridge wings, to enjoin the new struggle against
African elitism, against illiteracy, disease, ignorance, starvation, corruption and the
moral decline amongst the youth of this country.
If they do not, the next oppressor may well be from Beijing.
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