On the State of the Nation

It may appear I’ve given up on my blog; rather I have been too occupied with all our many successful projects. And for the past 6 weeks it’s been non stop planting in the gardens, like spring planting in Canada. Success has its own pros and cons, and one of the cons is the overwhelming detail which accompanies continuance of success. With now close to 200 gardens in the Montagu disadvantaged communities, a large community and market garden and requests to start the program combined with soup kitchen in two other communities, I’ve been literally swamped with details. And to be honest, I’m having trouble keeping up. Having had no break from my duties since returning from Canada three years ago, I’m a little worried about my health and how to slow down, or at the very least how to work smarter.

I am proud to tell you that Rural Women Association, of which I am the project manager and treasurer, won the National JET Award for Social Development in the West Cape Province. It was both an honour and a surprise and puts us on a short list of five organizations in South Africa now being considered for first prize in November, the national South African award. In some ways I think it would be best if we didn’t win this one; the initial prize is enough, can’t imagine Rural Women getting any busier and such an award would be as demanding as it would be recognition. One of the ironies is that Rural Women has never been able to acquire sponsorship for the organization itself, only for specific programs with very tight budgets. Our work is volunteer and our fuel, office and communication costs horrific. It’s very challenging at times.

In our initial years we were regularly treated like beggars by all we appealed to, an attitude unique not just with the civil servants we must deal with but government leaders who tell us to quit whining or leave South Africa. In contrast, recently President Mbeki authorized a R90 million wall to surround his personal residence while cutting budgets for major hospitals and reducing their capacity by about 30%. R90 million is about $13 million Cdn at the moment. The security wall must be gold plated.

Of note, my work on developing the Victim Support Room, the Huis Tuintjie program and the ECD Crèche and Soup Kitchen cost about R100,000, that about $14,000 Cdn. Makes one think, doesn’t it.

The biggest mistake our new Black government made when coming into power in 1994 was to fail to realize that it is the people who are the Country’s greatest resource and who if given competent opportunity, would transform this country. Instead, it’s the new political pig at the trough and black elite who have taken charge, and they are very rich indeed on the backs of the people. And consider this, the ANC of which I am a member, came in on a social democratic agenda to right the wrongs of the past, to uplift the majority non white population and keep peace with the whites, coloured and Indians, and to end poverty. Ha.

Since 1994 it appears the freedom fighting comrades’ real intent, and this is expressed virtually across the spectrum of government and civil service, showing that the ANC and other political parties have been running for government positions to get rich, or more simply put, to rule by the Law of the Jungle. It’s their greed which blinds them to their own corruption and constant ‘Denial’ which appearance-wise, is official government policy, denial after denial, and ‘No Comment’, naturally. Undoubtedly there were well intentioned and concerned activists who initially formed the government, and of course there was and still is Madiba, who commentators now wonder how uncomfortable at 89 he must be with the present state of ANC affairs. And can we blame the former oppressed population if when thinking about Democracy they see that Democracy means acquiring wealth by any means. If they are to be free they believe they must make big bucks. It’s an economic thing rather than desiring to serve. Thus corruption is swamping effective government. The top dogs are fortressing, having lost their integrity, principles and the country's trust.

What is not being denied by some ANC and all opposition politicians, and responsibly detailed by the Press, is that the ANC has now in Constitutional Crisis, and that the Party is split within itself and with its alliance partners. No one knows what will happen and fear abounds for our future. Why do we have a Constitutional Crisis? It is because our President fired the head of the National Prosecuting Authority for issuing an arrest warrant for the National Police Chief. The President is constitutionally required to keep hands off Justice. By firing Pikoli to protect his Police Chief, the President committed an act to 'obstruct Justice'.

Sadly, since writing my last blog in early August, our deputy Health Minister was also fired. She is the amazing woman who brought about a complete change in government policy towards HIV-Aids while our ultra incompetent Health Minister was having a liver transplant brought about by her alcoholism. Press also detailed how when our Health Minister was a Hospital Superintendent in Botswana she was not only fired but deported and banned from Botswana for stealing a watch from an anethesized patient in her hospital. When Deputy Health Minister Nozizwe Madlala-Routlege responded to her dismissal she voiced a new 'in' quote as follows: "Speak truth to Power". But Power here won’t listen.

Both Rutledge and Pikoli are considered intensely principled. It was Rutledge who disclosed that 200 children were dying unnecessarily each month in each of two hospitals in the Easter Cape. Mbeki used the pretext of her attendance at an overseas Aids convention without permission, which she thought she had, for firing her. Most think our President and Health Minister’s distaste for Rutledge really flowed from her incredible competence in changing policy and uplifting the HIV-Aids battle while the Health Minister was in hospital for a liver transplant. The economic connection here is that many US10 million dollar cash consignments in US$100 notes, have been detailed moving from the President’s office to a company supporting an illegal and toxic HIV treatment. The stink goes deeper in that the head of that Company is expected to be appointed Chair of SABC, (CBC type format), widely regaled as being the unabashed mouth piece of Mbeki and government.

You will recall in an earlier blog my excitement that finally South Africa, which is losing 1,000 people a day to Aids, many of them children, had finally got serious about the epidemic. Well, that has now all changed with our Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang back in full control of both government HIV-Aids Denialism and the Dept of Health, continuing to promote beetroot, garlic and African potato as a cure to Aids, while also supporting and promoting a legally banned treatment, all the while pushing her belief that anti retrovirals are toxic. Whew, talk about hopelessness on the part of suffering victims and concerned loved ones. And I do see them as victims. Alice, for her part in Wonderland is still living on a Snakes and Ladder board. She complains constantly but no one listens, certainly no one in position to do anything. Fortunately our Press is excellent and for a while yet relatively unfettered pending new legislation, otherwise we'd know little.

I’ve written about Selebi, our national Police Chief, also head of Interpol, who is widely regarded as the top international gangster in South Africa and very close to Mbeki. This week, as I referred to earlier, Vusi Pikoli, who was head of the National Prosecuting Authority, responsible for overseeing the Scorpions (similar to the US FBI) filed an arrest warrant against Selebi and was summarily fired by President Mbeki the day before Mbeki left to address the UN. No one now knows what has happened to the warrant for Selebi’s arrest, of which there are two, one to arrest, one to raid his office, not even the BBC can get the truth. The question which beggars to be answered is... where is Interpol in all this…? Don’t they feel an investigation is in order from their end? What gives? Selebi’s their present Head. Hmmm.

The corruption in the South African political realm is so rife as to be unbelievable to this Canadian farm boy. Mbeki gives a certain impression to international leaders and business, these all putting their hopes on 'the man', our President, and viewing South Africa as the springboard for the resource rich continent of Africa. Mbeki’s promoting of NEPAD (Ethical governance in exchange for foreign Aid) is a joke which westerners seem ever so happy to swallow. However, the most telling of all actions is in the pipe line. Legislative moves are afoot to clamp down on media which is daily filled with news on corruption and court cases against the mighty and powerful, and also legislation to weaken Justice and the Scorpions who give the top gangsters and political pigs at the trough so much headache. Media publishers and watchers are aghast at the intended legislation going the rounds. Government rattles off a spin assuring their citizens that these growing restriction proposals (such as submitting copy to government before publishing) is to protect us all from child porn, something I never see here. There is not the slightest indication that we have a serious problem with child porn, other crime, yes, corruption, yes, child sex tourism yes, child rape yes, internet child exploitation yes, but child porn in our daily and weekend papers, hardly.

I should tell you that SA democracy appears to me more and more as a pseudo democracy. Representatives are not really elected by the people. Voters can’t throw them out of office in the next election for incompetence, fraud or other misbehavior. We do not have constituency democracy. We have representative democracy. And what we also have is a Party, the ANC liberators now presently holding, I believe, 76% of the seats in government, the representatives appointed in accordance to ANC loyalty lists. Scattered throughout are the occasional diamonds sincerely striving to serve the people. I'm fortunate to work with one.

To be fair there are elections, and individuals within each community run for office. Generally these punters are appointed by their local party cell and subsequently spin one lie and promise after another. Then we see them only rarely in their expensive cars or in meetings that go nowhere. I have spoken to many of these representatives, and in my most charming voice of course, I say: “You should work with us. We succeed. Failure is not an option for the people and our successes will be on your watch and thus to your benefit.” Unfortunately my experience is that in almost all cases the political representatives and officials will not support organizations like ours and others. The most used excuse is: There is no money for that. Our new ANC Executive Mayor for example did not support us when the local Municipal officials took us to High Court for land invasion, which it wasn’t, and without consulting Council before having us charged as they were required by law to do. I saw this as straightforward intimidation and recalled David Lewis' cry: "Fight the Good Fight." We won. Thank you David.

We also unwittingly elect ‘floor crossing’ representatives. We refer to this greedy lot as ‘crosstitutes’. Every two years members in any of the parties are able to cross the floor to another party. It is inevitably about a better position and more money. Simply put, it’s disgusting. You have to live with it to recognize how shameful and undemocratic it is. There is no accountability whatsoever to the voters.

The President of the ANC, and thus to date also the President of South Africa, will be decided by the delegates in December and not by the common citizens of South Africa. Period! And without question it’s all about patronage. We don’t have democracy, we have patronage and sycophancy. They rule the day and the country. And the result is delayed advancement for the people, and suffering and death for far too many citizens.

Since Mbeki cannot constitutionally run for a third term without changing the constitution, he is running for president of the ANC party so he can control the man or woman who becomes President of South Africa. This new direction has resulted in a huge and acrimonious split in the ANC. Why, like Mandela, can’t African leaders step down? “It’s the money stupid.” And it is also fear of future legal action against them. If you are confused at this point, I do understand.

Of note, South Africa’s ‘Mail & Guardian’, I think our finest paper, has polled the listed delegates for the December election of South Africa’s 2009 incoming President and has found to the horror of all thinking caring South Africans, that Jacob Zuma is in the lead. This is the Zuma who is to be charged with corruption on the Arms deal, charges now pending for more than a year, although with Pikoli having been fired, perhaps not. This is the Zuma, who as head of the HIV Aids and Moral Regeneration Committee while he was Deputy President but subsequently dismissed by Mbeki, raped the daughter of a deceased exiled liberation friend and then claimed when questioned in court why he didn’t use a condom, said that he took a shower immediately afterwards to insure he didn’t contact Aids.

Additionally, Zuma stated under oath that he was aware the young woman who considered him a father figure, was HIV Positive. The trial was typical. The victim became the bad woman seducing a high public figure to tarnish him…. Everything was used against her. The result on the ground, significantly fewer rape charges across the country and even women columnists advising women to stay clear of laying charges. Incoming victims at our Victim Support Room were significantly reduced and most who do come in are not willing to lay charges. Generally they head off to the hinterland once released from hospital so detectives can’t pressure them to lay or continue charges.

Subsequently, Jacob Zuma’s victim and her mother had to be whisked out of the country to some unknown European destination since the crowds were screaming: “Burn the Bitch!" Burning by the way means ‘necklacing’, and that is a horrific and cruelest of acts, placing a tire around the victim’s neck, throwing gas on the poor soul and setting them alight. It’s a favorite punishment utilized by our more emotional South Africans. This retribution has continued since the anti-apartheid days when it was regularly used to settle scores and erase those considered traitorous to the cause, often falsely.

Jacob Zuma’s election theme song is: “Bring Me My Machine Gun”. All his populist fans sing along with him at every opportunity. On the rape trial, Zuma was acquitted. “Finish and Klaar”, as they say here.

Do we need to be worried? Yes! I am however optimistic that truth and justice will prevail, largely thanks to our Press and the ‘diamonds’.

Oh well, at least I’m not in Burma or Zimbabwe.

May All Beings Be Happy
Solinus
In South Africa