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A long walk to fiefdom

I just thought that while I’m on a political ranting roll this evening, I might as well slip this one in; it’s been bothering me since I read the ugly news.

While Nelson Mandela had a truly long walk to freedom, the new ANC-government under the leadership (sic) of Jacob Zuma has just completed its long walk to fiefdom. Yes, the ANC-government has truly arrived, to claim its prize, formerly known as South Africa.

Figures released for questionable government expenditure of public funds, in the opposition Democratic Alliance’s Wasteful Expenditure Monitor makes your eyes water, or makes you lick your lips in glee, depending on which side of the political fence you’re luxuriating in:

• R99-million on upgrades to the residences of public officials
• R120,5-million on a variety of items, including unnecessary rental space, luxury cars and artwork
• Defence Minister Lindiwe Sisulu spent about R7-million on four Mercedes-Benz vehicles
• The total spent on new vehicles by Zuma’s government was now R65,8-million
• The total spent on parties, conferences and similar events now totalled R209-million
• World Cup tickets by Cabinet members, municipalities and state-owned enterprises: R135,9-million
• The state has also spent R209-million on parties and conferences, and a further R241-million on “unnecessary property rentals, hotel stays and property renovations. This included the R515 000 spent by Communications Minister Siphiwe Nyanda on “prolonged stays” at luxury five-star establishments, including Cape Town’s Mount Nelson and Twelve Apostles hotels, which the ANC defended as “within the limits specified in the Minister’s Handbook.”

That’s just for starters. It gets worse better; let’s check what’s on the main course. Recent reports that loudmouth ANC-Youth League President Julius Malema had managed to convince the ruling-ANC government to consider nationalization of mines, was meant only for consumption by the utterly gullible followers of this absurd organization. It’s pretty certain that the nationalization of mines has been on the ANC-government agenda all along; they just needed this fool and his ignorant followers to give it life, to make it appear as if coming from the people, rather than initiated by the greedy government.

We all know, that a fiefdom needs money-spinning operations to make it that more attractive, and since they’re depleting the other sources of revenue at an astonishing rate, the mines are really a no-sweat grab; ask Robert Mugabe.

Now how about some dessert? Why not reward some of your cronies who came to dinner bearing bottles of Veuve Clicquot and Johnny Walker Blue, with some choice appointments (otherwise known as cadre deployment), to some of our finest state-owned utilities; to do with as they please. After all, what is a fiefdom, if you can’t own, and fuck up everything at will.

Boy, are the serfs in for a surprize when they finally wake up!

Just what we need in post-World Cup South Africa: a new government-ass-kissing newspaper

Oh boy! Here we go again. More Indians kissing government ass!

I’m referring to the proposed new daily newspaper that is to be launched in South Africa, later this year by the Gupta family. Called The New Age, it is being touted as an independent newspaper, but according to Atul Gupta, head of Sahara Computers (a rather mediocre range of personal computers):

We will be broadly supportive of the ruling government. What is wrong with that?

What indeed is wrong with that?

Nothing except that nobody supports a government if they have nothing to benefit from it. Ordinary people will support a government which reciprocates by providing basic services, a safe environment to live in, and which upholds basic freedoms and rights. Business will support a government that reciprocates by providing an environment that is conducive to generating big profits.

Only ignorant people, and businesses hoping for a healthy dose of palm grease will support a government that does not produce the benefits listed earlier. And in South Africa, the government is not only well-known for not producing the benefits that are expected of government, they are rather well-known for the evils that are normally associated with despots and thieves.

Maybe, I’m completely off the mark, but it just smells way too fishy. And, The New Age brings to mind images of the new age of corruption that is so endemic in government circles.

What’s worse is that the Gupta’s will be launching the newspaper in partnership with Essop Pahad, a highly ranked political advisor in the previous ANC-government administration of Thabo Mbeki, which was unceremoniously booted out by the current Jacob Zuma mal-administration. Where this miserable specimen (another ass-kissing Indian, mind you) is involved, there are bound to be eye-brows raised; and his reputation as “…an uncouth enforcer of limited principle”  and a “rottweiler” [Andrew Feinstein, After the Party] , is sure to raise the hairs on one’s back. This relic from the past was all but dead and forgotten, but will now be raised again, through The New Age to influence, and possibly regurgitate more of his hateful rhetoric in a daily newspaper publication.

How long will it be before this broadly-supportive-of-government-newspaper is re-named by disenchanted readers to, The New BS. Let’s wait and see…

Dumb-ass of the decade

I suppose it’s fair for people to think I have some sort of vendetta against arch-idiot, Julius Malema, leader of  a bunch of misfits known as the ANC Youth League. I can’t help it. The guy’s got both his feet so far into his mouth, you might catch a glimpse of his toes sticking out his fat arse; if you were unfortunate enough to be subjected to that ignominy off course.

Not a week goes by without him insulting us South Africans with his gross ignorance and spectacular lies, not to mention the outrageous contempt he displays for the institutions of law and order (what’s left of it) and even government (what little there is off it that actually works).

Just yesterday, he was at it again; this time regaling journalists with what can only be described as pure fabrications about his openly lavish lifestyle.

I live on handouts most of the time. If I don’t have food to eat, I can call Cassel Mathale [premier of Limpopo] and say: “Chief, can you help me? I’ve got nothing here.” I can call Thaba Mufamadi, I can call Pule Mabe [ANCYL treasurer general] or Mbalula. They all do the same with me. That’s how we have come to relate to each other.

Interesting choice of word, that – handout. If expensive cars, flashy jewelry, multi-million rand mansions, and extravagant parties, can be considered handouts, I wonder what those beggars standing at traffic intersections consider the few coins we reluctantly hand out to them? There are millions of dirt poor South Africans who could do with friends like Malema’s, and they must surely be cursing the gods or their ill luck for not hooking them up.

And if that previous statement don’t beat all for total absurdity, the following must surely be the clanger of the decade:

That’s why at times you can’t even see our poverty because we cover each other’s back. As comrades, we have always supported each other like that.

Ah yes, Julius the poverty that you and your ANC-government friends find yourselves in, is all too apparent. Thanks for pointing that out; we were all so blind for thinking that the only poverty you and the government suffer from, has to do with morals.