Over the last few days I have been covering my journey and experiences in the Apartheid years. It becomes obvious why some things will never change and never move forward. I think racism will stay around for many years as the ones in power now see it as a way to manipulate the system. I have seen it go from one extreme to the other over the last 30 years or so and what is happening now is nearly as bad as what was happening before. Instead of calling it apartheid they call it affirmative action or Black Empowerment. Unfortunately it isn't serving it's purpose and is only benefiting a small percentage that are part of the elite.
The Government run businesses in the country are bankrupt and need bailing out every year. These should be good businesses and as long as they aren't privatized those employed in them will always have a job. Ministers friends of friends and whoever else is in the tight knit circles are benefiting and no one else. Just don't get caught with your fingers in the cookie jar is the message as you will then be replaced by another friend. Everyone knows what is going on and wont rock the boat in case they get a chance at some point to have a cushy post.
source
Health wise the average life expectancy is low ,if we look at the numbers and is rather shocking. Aids is rampant here and it doesn't look as though that will improve any time soon. Education is lacking and the government doesn't seem to care. When it effects there numbers for voting though they will wake up. Millions are affected and rumored to be close to a third of the population. Putting that into context a third of the population are less than 20 years old which gives me hope as maybe they will improve what is going on.
It is not surprising the national airline South African Airways runs at huge losses when they allowed the stopping of profitable routes to go to other airlines that the Gupta's had shares in. The management that was there previously and removed many years ago is still there behind the scenes as temporary contracted workers and are doing all the work. I noticed this whilst discussing a contract many years ago. All this does is inflate costs and reduces whatever profit would be possible. I remember a statistic stating a gold level airline would have one employee per 1000 passengers and South African Airways has 10 times that. It was a cash cow that has been over milked and it's on it's last legs.
I think this scenario has been repeated across the board and the infrastructure is or has fallen apart already. The amount of investment required to fix everything will be in the Billions. The latest rumor is Eskom (Electricity ) is going to be run down so much that the presidents brother in law will buy it for a pittance. I actually think this is a good idea as long as they fix it. I don't really care who owns it as long as it is run properly.
Things will change over time and maybe they need to get worse before they get better. A bit like an alcoholic hitting rock bottom and then improving. I don't think we are there yet, but are heading downwards towards something unpleasant. Zuma and his entourage stole so much that to fix anything these days it would take a miracle.
source
The road the government is taking is a dangerous one for them as if we look at every election since 1999 they have been dropping percentages to the Democratic Alliance party. They lost Cape Town which is DA controlled today and maybe,just maybe another city will leave the crooked hands of the ANC this year. The people are sick and tired of empty promises and reading and hearing about the corruption just sparks anger and head shaking. The pie chart will hopefully have a lot less green this year, but I am not holding my breath for any major change this time. The numbers are climbing for the DA party and maybe the next election could be a telling point.
source
The Democratic Alliance (DA) has some interesting topics which they raised for the election campaign this year. The main one was visa's required by foreign workers from neighboring countries. This seems crazy as one would think that should have been an automatic requirement in the first place. Closing the borders will at least give employment to it's citizens first which should be a priority.
I think this sums up how bad the neighboring countries are if thy see this as paradise. Botswana I think is a lighthouse for what is happening around them and sticks out like a sore thumb as it is being governed correctly from what I hear.
source
Closing the borders and controlling who is in your country will help with the crime rate as it is common knowledge a high percentage of crimes are committed by foreign nationals. The government has no idea how many extra visitors are even here and I know of Zimbabweans holding South African passports now. The government wanted them to help boost votes in elections as that is how the one guy I know got his.
I don't have all the answers to fix this, but what is needed is a change in Government so everyone can see if a better system can be formed. There is no guarantees though as who says they wont be as bad and as corrupt. I would just like to see some form of normality again where color wasn't an issue and hatred evaporated. I feel sorry for the youth of today as there are very few opportunities for any race.
The reality is a young person today has to have parents that have a business or know someone for them to get a job. Going to university is a lottery like my niece found out recently. She studied and became a Chiropractor but decided she wanted to specialize further in medicine and even though she was already a doctor she had the run around. She came first in all her requirement tests and was still put on a waiting list. They eventually had someone drop out and she is in her final year now. She was looking elsewhere to study which would have resulted in another specialist leaving these shores.
In every society you have extremes and I would say on a whole the population gets on very well with each other. The Afrikaaner is not as staunch as he was in the 1990's and the exception is the group who made their own white community called Oranje. I live in a road where my neighbors are of all races and don't care as why should we. Things have changed for the better on certain aspects as it had to and more things now need to change. Respect needs to be shown to everyone and hate speeches need to be outlawed. This election will show if everyone tows the line on the last one as we have the EFF who will do anything to get more power and votes. That is the uncertainty that could turn this place upside down.
I don't know what the future holds for this place as it could go two ways. One it could become a fabulous place to live and work or it could go down the tubes like Zimbabwe. It is on the same route as Zimbabwe right now, but on a bigger scale Change is what is going to save them and maybe the truth about how much damage the ruling party has done over the last 25 years will finally come out. The ANC can't afford for that to happen because once they are gone it will be virtually impossible to get back in again. Intimidation may rear it's ugly head if they have an inkling of this election being a tight race so we will wait and see.