A different view on current affairs & history
In the wake of the ground shaking 2024 National Elections, the ANC faces its worst existential crisis ever. Nothing that the various Apartheid governments threw at them came anywhere close after the ANC’s electoral support slumped by 17% to 40.2%. The ANC which saw off the IFP and smugly lorded it over everyone for 30 years is now forced to form some unpalatable coalition structure. The architect of this is laughing boy, Zuma, himself who weaponised the shiny new MK Party.
History was made in America on 30 May 2024 when Trump became the first President, ex or otherwise, to be convicted of a felony. In fact he was unanimously convicted of all 34 counts of falsifying business records in his attempt to hide from potential voters his dalliance with a porn star. It will probably deal a huge blow to his re-election chances and make any political career for Don jnr a non-starter. After all, who would want to vote for Con Heir, son of Con Hair?
Continue readingLike a badly scripted scene from a low rent remake of the Godfather, all the consiglieri and foot soldiers of the Don’s grime family this week grovelled and debased themselves. They attended his hush money trial on Tuesday and Thursday to pay allegiance to him and to pucker up and kiss his ring … and not the ring on his finger either.
Main picture: The head of the Trumpolino grime family, the Don snr, giving his inverse raccoon glare before proceedings.
Continue readingI observed the recent Eurovision song contest with a passing interest much like one would when passing a traffic accident – mildly curious and glad not to be involved in any way. Like many modern music shows and videos, it seemed to be overly sexualised and ever since ABBA won with Waterloo in 1974 it joins a long line of immemorable Eurovisions. Another thing that stood out for me was that there seemed to be a disproportionate number of artists identifying as non-binary which led me to dig out a SMAC which I wrote in 2022 but never got around to drawing a picture for. In a spurt of laziness, I did however dig out an image from a MAD magazine of my boomer youth as a fig leaf for its nudity.
A MAD magazine take on Star Wars with Luke Skywalker walking into some galactic bar
Continue readingWith election fever coursing through South Africa, there are many hack actors bedevilling the melodrama that constitutes SA politics. Overseeing this all is the spirit of Madiba who most still hold dear. Many try to bask in his reflected glory and humanity by claiming a bit for themselves. However, few are worthy.
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My name is Bond, Nkandla Bond (courtesy of VBS, unpaid of course), aka JZ, aka Spear of the Nation, aka Father of the Nation (23 children and counting), aka uBaba, aka Number One, aka Number One accused, aka Dead Man Walking (according to his medical parole submission).
The genital warts have returned, the rash is back.
JZ has arisen from the foetid heap of ANC history to haunt SA again by joining the shiny new MK Party.
For SMAC’s look at the 2024 elections, the new MK Party and SA’s oldest politician, now that Gatsha Buthelezi has shuffled off into his sunset, read on
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The ANC inherited a morally and ideologically compromised state, but one which was the envy of Africa in many ways. It was far and away the most advanced educationally, industrially, technologically and had a first world level banking system. The provincial hospital system provided a fantastically affordable and top notch service albeit with disparities across racial lines. With South Africa the darling of the world, the first 15 years were plain sailing and the economy grew significantly. This allowed the medical system to be equalised across racial lines. However, the consequences of badly thought through policies, corruption, state capture, the burgeoning of indolent and incompetent supernumeraries in the state sector and the defunct SOEs put increasing pressure over the next 15 years on all state activities. Eventually the medical system copped it and it flatlined in 2023.
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SMAC brought you the platitudes of Cyril in 2022 with SONA se Moer and the sounds of a sinking ship in Sonar 2023 – RSA Titania. SMAC now confidently brings you SONA, Yet So Far before Cyril even steps up to the podium and ponderously ponders on highpoints of yet another ANC annus horribilis.
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By every metric, South Africa is bleeding. It’s as if we’ve been infected by a haemorrhagic virus like Ebola which causes every organisation in the country to bleed. Actually, it’s a well-known virus that’s been around for 30 years – the ANC.
Barring SARS, SARB and the Department of Finance, every department and most municipalities are dysfunctional and supplying fewer or more shoddy services every year. Institutional memory and competence were replaced with anyone from a disadvantaged group as long as they vaguely matched the job requirements. Nor did they look too hard at the applicants’ experience, track records or qualifications. This combined with preferential procurement created fertile ground for the virus to flourish until incompetence and corruption now dominates every facet of the public sector economy.
This SMAC will not look into the Health Department which is eyeing the private Medical Aid reserve funds or that Water and Sanitation needs up to R1 trn to sort it out or anything similar. The remit is too large. This SMAC will restrict itself to the sorry sordid sagas of the SOEs and their toxic debt piles that are bankrupting them and hobbling the economy.
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The ANC was founded on 8 January 1912 which, if you are of the minority who have arithmetic skills, know that it makes the ANC 112 years old. I don’t know why I bothered as you are likely to have reading skills as well otherwise you would not be reading this. Actually, I introduced this contentious note because during the week long birthday celebrations we will be told how the ANC has created a better life for all and free access to education will be one of them, not that they moved the meter much in the 30 years they’ve been in power.
With the ANC facing its most strenuous electoral challenge this year, we will have the galling sight of the posturing politicians outdoing themselves in regaling us with their achievements. It’s more likely to be a networking opportunity (in the corruption sense) and a chance for the ANC parasites to sell all manner of ANC themed regalia, probably including black, yellow and green rough riders.
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