Of sanctions, tariffs and other 'terrible things' in South Africa

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Mzansi is miffed at US President Donald Trump.

Over the past two-to-three months, Trump (and Elon Musk) had offended the cr*p out of our ailing, flailing, kakistocracy when he said, “Terrible dangerous things are happening in South Africa.”

“What-what-whaaat..???” Was the nationwide response, especially from the pseudo-liberal, virtue-signalling “woke” far left – and their servile, sycophantic, sock-puppet media.

“What on earth could he possibly mean?” They said, with self-righteous indignation. “Trump is just jealous of our freedom. Envious of our fancy schmancy “sophisticated’ constitutional democracy. He resents our fully reconciled and integrated groovy rainbow nation, living in perfect, blissful, utopian…harmony.” They (basically) said.

TRUMP AND MUSK PUT THE WORLD’S SPOTLIGHT ON SA

Then, Trump and Musk put a global spotlight on the ANC’s habitual corruption and “racist” laws, Malema’s diabolical ditty, and the so-called “mythical” white farmer genocide.

Again, the reaction by our government and much of the country was, “How DARE he! How DARE Trump cast aspersions on our marvellous Mzansi! You scoundrel, Mr President! You rascal! You bloody agent!”

Trump followed up by whacking SA with harsh tariffs and sanctions on our government – partly because of these “terrible things” happening in our country.

The ANC doubled down. “There are NO terrible, dangerous things happening in South Africa!” They insisted.

Really…?

Are you all suffering from some kinda collective mass amnesia? Did the jab wipe your memory clean?

You wanna know what Trump – and everybody in the world who agrees with him – mean by “terrible, dangerous things”…?

Here’s a quick reminder…

SYSTEMIC GOVERNMENT CORRUPTION AND INCOMPETENCE

Let’s start with the root of the problem.

Widespread, systemic, endemic, government corruption and gross incompetence – with impunity and zero accountability.

On 20 March 2024, British journalist Doug Murray was interviewed by Sky News Auz after his visit to SA. He told them, “The enormous potential in SA has been wasted by the government, which is so unbelievably corrupt – on a scale that just boggles the mind. They’ve spent and spilt it in totally unforgivable ways.”

Is he wrong..?

Tell me, exactly how many prolonged, drawn-out, corruption scandals have the ANC been embroiled in since they came to power in ’94? I’ve lost count, long ago.

From the Arms Deal (“Strategic Defence Package”) to Eskom, SAA, Transnet, Post Office, DWS and Bosasa. From Gangster State to State Capture. Not to mention the hundreds of bankrupt municipalities across the country. It’s been one, big, embarrassing, scandalous, government corruption crisis after another.

And where’s the accountability? Where are the arrests? Prosecutions? And perps in orange overalls?

We spent almost a billion on the Zondo Commission of Inquiry into State Capture. The final instalment of the report was submitted almost three years ago in June 2022. What’s the status of the investigations?

All these outstanding corruption cases, and…no arrests, no prosecutions, no prison time (well, no more than an hour or so) and no justice.

I guess the Hawks and NPA are too busy concocting trumped-up treason charges against Afriforum for picking their noses in the Mandela Museum, or something.

According to a report by the NPA and Daily Maverick, State Capture under the Zuma administration has cost this country at least R1.5 trillion. It allegedly wiped out a third of our GDP in 2019.

Think about that…let it sink in. Then think about what we could’ve done for the poor with all that money.

RAMPANT VIOLENT CRIME, GBV AND CHILD ABUSE

Did you hear? South Africa was just rated 5th on a list of the top 25 most unsafe countries to visit. We’re also the most dangerous country to visit in all of Africa.

Gee…I wonder why? Think it could have something to do with our shockingly high crime stats?

Did you know that daily, in this country, on average more than 70 people are murdered, and 120 are raped? Did you know we also have a pandemic of child rape/murder/abuse and trafficking?

Over the past six years, 100 000 child rape cases and 22,000 sexual assault cases involving children have been reported. In 2024 alone more than 2700 children between 10 and 14 were impregnated – a stat which is probably linked to the alarming increase in infant abandonment, where thousands of newborn babies are being found – dead and alive – in fields, drains, toilets and garbage dumps every year.

We also still have a prominent gangster problem throughout the country, particularly on the Cape Flats. Of course, linked to the gangs and syndicates are all kinds of other crimes – from drug dealing to robberies and CIT heists, kidnapping and extortion, human trafficking, a violent minibus taxi mafia and rapidly increasing white-collar and cybercrime.

And who’s going to stop them? Our largely incompetent, under-equipped and decidedly corrupt police force? Our underfunded and unfit SANDF who couldn’t round up a few gangs on the Cape Flats?

THE TINDERBOX OF MASS POVERTY AND UNEMPLOYMENT

According to stats, more than 50% of the country is impoverished and struggling to put food on the table. They’re likely living in a shack in a township, without regular access to water and electricity, and judging by the garbage that’s piling up everywhere, they’re experiencing little to no service delivery.

The current unemployment levels are sitting at just over 30%, with youth unemployment at nearly 60%. This means we have millions of impoverished, disenfranchised, desperate, frustrated, angry young men – of fighting age – sitting around with nothing to do but twiddle their thumbs on idle hands. (And you know what they say about idle hands…and the devil.)

Right there, between those two statistics – poverty and unemployment – you know what I call that? A ticking timebomb. A tinderbox. The proverbial powder keg.

All it takes is the right spark, like the right tweet at the right time, from the wrong person (think Duduzile or Juju) and we could have another uprising that makes July 2021 look like the EFF trashing a Clicks store.

NOT a good time to be squeezing the poor with more taxes or a VAT increase.

Why do we still have such high levels of unemployment and poverty? Same reason we have rolling blackouts, water shortages and numerous failed parastatals and municipalities.

Because there’s no money to fix any of it.

Why is there no money…?

Well, because your leaders embezzled, squandered and just outright stole our taxpayer money, bought themselves mansions and sports cars, flew first class around the world on extended holidays and fake business trips, sipped the finest champagne and single malt scotch…and spent sh*tloads of cash on literally truckloads of KFC.

Oh, there’s service delivery, all right…in five-star hotels and swanky restaurants for your leaders. NOT for you.

You and your family just get to sit in the dark, without water, listening to your rumbling tummies, with the stench of sewerage hanging in the air.

THE POWER AND WATER CRISIS

I’ve had practically no constant water for the past few months, how about you? We’ve had regular, brief water cuts since October last year, but since around February, it’s ramped up to at least 10-12 hours a day of dry taps. And it doesn’t matter how much it rains, the water hardly ever reaches us.

I also still get regular power cuts – between the scheduled rolling blackouts. The cuts are so regularly timed you could practically set your watch to them. Yet, we’re told it’s just spontaneous, random, unpredictable “maintenance problems” BETWEEN load shedding.

Think about it…the ANC literally plunged us into darkness. Quite the visual metaphor, huh..?

Watching Cyril Ramaphosa’s SONA speech this year, there was a point where I literally threw up in my mouth a little bit. When he got to the part about his plans to fix Eskom and end load-shedding. How many times, at how many SONAs have we heard THAT before? What happened to the Eskom “War Room” (as Piet Groenewald asked) set up years ago to end load-shedding?

You know, I’m no politician…but I’m pretty sure that when you’ve reached the point, as a government, where you can no longer keep the lights on or the water flowing…you have failed your mandate – and the people. I mean, you’d think maintaining water and lights would be like A1-01 in the Dummies Guide to Good Governance manual…right?

If you can’t pull off something as rudimentary, essential and simple as that, then you are NOT…FIT…TO GOVERN. And the only honourable thing to do now is step aside, or step down…and let some party more competent, qualified, experienced, ethical and fiscally disciplined take the reigns.

You can do it the easy way, or we can do it the hard way.

CONGRATS, ANC, YOU DID IT!

Now, take a good hard look at that 30-year legacy…and give them a hand, folks.

(Slow clap)

Congrats, ANC…you did it! You fulfilled every single African tinpot, despot stereotype we were warned about by the old regime. And by the likes of Margaret Thatcher, Ronald Reagan and the rest of the Western political establishment.

They said you were going to f**k this country up, six-luv, and you’ve proved them right. That’s not me saying it…your own people are saying it.

And you wonder why you’ve just been sanctioned by the US government?

Rob Hersov is dead right, you had it coming.

More bad news, baba. Sanctions are just the beginning…

BEWARE THOSE DREADED, OMINOUS, TWO WORDS…

You need to prepare yourself, ANC… because no doubt, pretty soon, you’re going to be hearing those two notorious, ominous, dreaded words coming out of the US…and the rest of the West. Coming out of Washington, London, Paris, Berlin and Brussels. Those two words that strike terror into the hearts of “dictators, rogue states and tyrannical regimes” (in the eyes of the West) the world over.

And those two words are: “Lost…Legitimacy”.

Yes. “The ANC has finally lost legitimacy”, they will say. “Time for a replacement. Time to step down”, They will demand. Over and over and over again.

Once you hear those two words being used by the West, that’s when it’s officially time to start cr*pping yourselves, comrades, and packing your bags.

Why?

You wanna know what follows those two words..? Ask Saddam Hussein. Ask Gaddafi. Ask Assad. To name a few. It’s called Regime Change. And it’s coming, boet.

Did you think no one was watching? Did you forget? It’s a global village now.

The whole WORLD is watching.

The party’s over, comrade.