A different view on current affairs & history
With all the profligate wastage of money by the government that is coming to light at Zondo, it’s worthwhile revisiting what Nkandla cost.
Main picture: In 2021 Rands, Nkandla cost R450mill
Continue reading
In a surprising inastute move, the ANC used Jacob Zuma as the face of its Local Government Election campaign – literally its poster boy if you will. If anything, his visage signalled a reason amongst the traditional ANC supporters why they should NOT vote ANC in the Local Government Elections. For the opposition, Zuma was and is the gift that keeps on giving.
Given this fact, should the opposition not be pleading with the ANC to retain Zuma as President, rather than lambasting them for having such a feckless, fatuous, venal leader who is clearly out of his depth?
Main picture: The frontline against corruption and “state capture” is manned by Pravin Gordhan
The Al-Qaeda Islamic militants in Paris might have been the recipients of the award for the most centimetres of newspaper space across the globe devoted to their dastardy deeds this week, but Boko Haram – meaning literally Western Education is Forbidden – indisputably won the prize for the Mamparas of the week.
An explosive vest was strapped to the body of a 10 year old girl who was then sent to saunter through a crowded market in Gambaru, Nigeria. It is not certain whether this girl herself set off the explosives or whether they were linked to a Cellphone so that her leader could set it off at the appropriate time. Whatever it was, the result was 16 deaths.
Classifying this terrorist group as Mamparas is not harsh enough. They are worse than cold-blooded killers as the use of impressionable callow youngsters is despicable.
Main picture: Attack by Boko Haram
A Personal View – 2nd June 2014
The latest debacle swirling around a recent appointee relates to the alleged misconduct of the current Head of the NPA is proof writ large of Jacob Zuma’s inability to appoint capable candidates. Ex post facto it is uncovered as part of a Security Clearance check that Mxolisi Nxasana is guilty of various offences including assault but had been found not guilty of murder.
Surely in the year-long search for a suitable replacement of such as key appointment such as this, Mr. Nxasana would have been meticulously vetted and a thorough background check performed.
A Personal View – 9th May 2014
Barring a dramatic event, the final outcome of the 2014 Election is already known with the ANC retaining power but with a reduced majority. The Democratic Alliance made substantial gains by increasing their share of the vote by 29.8%. Many of the smaller parties were all but eliminated with the Cope’s tally being reduced by 90%, the once powerful IFP by 44.4% and the ACDP by 33.3%. Even the much favoured Agang did not make an impression as it only gathered one seat, that of Mamphela Ramphele.
A Personal View – May 2014
Corruption is a concomitant of power. Once in power one is presented with temptations all the time. The formative experiences of the ANC members were as impoverished cadres doing the bidding of the party without expected recompense.
Once in power and adjudicating contracts often worth billions, the temptations were presented; first as a free trip with the family but rapidly assuming monstrous dimensions. That was to be expected but what was the result: impunity. In spite of far-reaching corruption in municipal finances for instances, not one single person has been prosecuted in terms of the Municipal Finances Act.
NOT ONE!
That is inconceivable. That is indicative of an indifference to the ongoing corruption and perhaps more importantly political interference in the prosecution of these cases.
What has South Africa inherited as a Civil Service, a venal, corrupt and incompetent body serving their own and their ANC’s purposes and not those of the people of South Africa.
The decline of morality in the ANC has been unprecedented: from dogmatic righteousness to self-serving venality. What a decline? One can sight Nkandla as an egregious example but surprising the ANC will be unaffected by its stench. The reason thereof is surprising – it is regarded as a middle class issue. Even Jacob Zuma stated as much in his defence during the election campaign.
The cornerstone of the ANC’s campaign was “We have a good story to tell”. Essentially it harks back to the accession of power by the ANC rather than focusing on the current malaise. Anything was better than Apartheid and hence the comparison is fallacious.
The litmus test of whether corruption is endemic is whether one has become inured to it. An unequivocal yes will ring out for most now skim the headlines dealing with yet another multi-billion Rand corruption case.
As they claim, a fish rots from its head and surely this is true of the ANC. At best, Jacob Zuma has an extremely tenuous grasp of the concept of ethics. This combined with the temptations of power have created a swirling whirlpool into whose vortex even the incorruptible and diligent are losing their inhibitions.
Apart from harking back to a glorious legacy, how else is the ANC addressing this malaise: the race card. A once proud organisation steeped in non-racialism now uses racist cant as an election ploy like its president did at Soccer City yesterday.
Its supports should hang their heads in shame at such shameless populism.
For all of the reasons enumerated above and many more too numerous to recount, the deeply-flawed ANC has to be given a bloody nose in the 2014 National Elections on May 7th but not by voting for an equally venal and corrupt EFF which has learnt the lessons too well from its original tutor, the ANC.
One cannot be indifferent to the results of this election.
The vox populi has to make a ringing endorsement for parties of principle and integrity such the Agang or the Democratic Alliance.
A Personal View
First the SABC decided not to flight an election advert by the DA [Democratic Alliance] on the grounds that it maligns Jacob Zuma. They allege that the Nkandla affair has not been proven in a court of law therefore it is prejudicial to him.
Then the IEC [Independent Election Commission] stepped in & announced that it could not arbitrate on the issue until after the Easter long weekend because nobody was available to chair it despite its rules clearly stating that conflicts arising from adverts have to be resolved within 48 hours.
In its rush to prove that they are thoroughbred lackeys of the ANC, both parties revealed their biased hand early in this election campaign.
Both the IEC Chairperson Pansy Tlakula & SABC’s Acting COO Hlaudi Motsoeneng need to urgently go on refresher training regarding the meaning of the words independence, freedom of speech & what the concept of free & fair elections mean but I fear that the notions are too esoteric especially for Hlaudi who does not even hold a Matric Certificate.
Mampara for July 2014: Minister of Agriculture Senzeni Zokwana
Despite heading up NUM and the SACP, this Mampara only paid his own workers one third of the minimum rate for working seven days a week
http://thecasualobserver.co.za/mampara-july-2014-minister-agriculture-senzeni-zokwana/
Mampara for May 2014: Julius Malema
http://thecasualobserver.co.za/mampara-may-2014-julius-malema/
Mampara for 16th April 2014-SABC & IEC and advert by DA
http://thecasualobserver.co.za/mampara-day-wednesday-16th-april-2014/