Dennis
Bloem, Chief Whip of COPE wrote a piece on the recent announcement by President
Jacob Zuma wanting to have one capital, which accordingly to Zuma will save the
country money. While it might make sense to have one capital instead of two,
it is the cost involved in relocating and
finding accommodation, etc., for
all the ministers, deputies, security staff, and all the other background
employees who form part of the elite.
In my
opinion, the move would give the president and his ministers an opportunity to
rob the taxpayers again. The move will open up an avenue to commit fraud
and corruption, and all the Gupta linked, ministers family members and Zuma
children will get the tenders and will be allowed to charge astronomical amounts
for poor services.
We only
have to look at the tender fraud over the last few years to know that it will
not change while Zuma, says THE ANC COMES FIRST. It is only another
opportunity to steal again.
Listening
to the State of the Nation debate over the last few days confirms how
members of the ANC protect Zuma, and it is all because the president has
aligned MP's in such a manner that guarantees his protection. After-all,
if Zuma falls, then so will many MP's fall with their president. The
debates were all packed with lies, and outbursts, the ANC sounded so
desperate with a hint of fear. I can imagine that not too many people are sleeping well. It must be awful trying to
remember all the lies told over the last ten years or so. The ANC is a
dying party, they have raped the country, clinging to the old strategy that
APARTHEID caused all the problems, promoting racism, blaming the
white minority, and do not know what the word TRUTH means.
The worst
part of social justice in South Africa is the fact that the ANC president and
members abuse the majority by lying to them. The ANC have perfected the art of
lying and sometimes when they speak, the words uttered are so convincing, one
would think they were telling a true story. But then one only has to look at the cities, the squatter camps, the
broken infrastructure, crime and corruption, to know that it is
another ANC lie.
I cannot remember the name of the ANC member
who during the SONA debate said that "under the ANC millions of people
have been given homes", I actually laughed and then thought about this
statement. Yes, millions do have homes, in squatter camps. In 1994, there were no squatter camps and now, there are thousands of these
filthy, rat infested, tin shacks that have sprung up on any piece of vacant
land. Homes that do not have running
water, electricity, or proper roads. What a deceitful party the ANC have
become.
Unfortunately
for the ANC, the majority are opening their eyes and ears, they are beginning
to understand what fairness is, what good governance means and how the country
can prosper. Soon the ANC will lose its power grip and float away. The
sad part is that the resources have all been
plundered.
Here is the article
written by Dennis Bloem, it really is a
good read.
PRESIDENT ZUMA MUST EFFECT DRASTIC SAVINGS NOW
The announcement by President Zuma to have one capital is a red herring. If it happens, he will no longer be President. His attempt to assuage the anger of taxpayers who will be incensed with tax increases in 11 days’ time, will not work. Everyone knows how extravagant he has been in using extreme patronage to keep his power base. COPE has repeatedly asked for a massive reduction on the size of government through all three spheres.
The richest countries in the world cannot afford to carry as many public representatives as we have in all three spheres of government.
While contemplating a move to have one capital, President Zuma could have announced that cabinet would be slashed to 20 ministers and 10 deputy ministers. Such a move would remove the need for houses, cars, offices, staff, and so on for 15 ministers and 28 deputy ministers. In effect the savings would be greater than consolidating the two capitals. The beauty is that this could be done at once.
Last year we pleaded with President Zuma not to accede to salary increases for himself and for public representatives. He shut his ears so tight no sound could penetrate that barrier.
The national debt has soared to over a trillion rand. As a result, between R130 – R140-billion will have to be taken out from the revenue government collected to service the national debt. This reduces fiscal space. On top of that, having an obese government too big to keep awake and too big to keep mobile erodes fiscal space even more. The Zuma excessively extravagant Zuma administration must not look to taxpayers meekly digging deeper to bail out his government. He will soon see tax protestors joining the rank of other protestors. The government must begin with a 60% reduction in the size of government.
President Zuma can no longer have his cake and eat it. Even if the ANC comes first for him, he can no longer pamper them at the expense of the public. Forty three ministers and deputy ministers must go at once. Other tiers of government must also downsize.
MPs and ministers have been equally guilty in allowing the monumental increase in the size of government. They have eaten well and satiated themselves while the poor have grown hungrier all the time. The so called “better life” has been a phantom. The transformation that was promised never happened. Inequality has widened. Society is fracturing. Government has to downsize.
Voters will need to do what ruling party MPs and Baleka Mbete have refused to do: call government to account. They can do so by creating voter blocs in each ward and for such voter blocs to demand proper service delivery. By applying voting pressure, people can take back government and prevent the ruling party from continuing to be the self-serving oligarch that it has been since 2009.
If society fails to act, as ruling party MPs have failed to act, our sovereign bonds will be reduced to junk status and the hardships that will follow for people will be “too ghastly to contemplate”,
