The socioeconomic status of our people has still not improved after 28 years of freedom.
More than 300 people were killed in the recent rioting, looting and destruction of property. Yet no police or SANDF members were to be seen on the streets for five days. The ministers of police and defence were in hiding for five days of mayhem. They only took action after the horrible destruction was done.
The people involved were young and mostly from informal settlements. Some of them were stealing coffins from the mortuaries. In Soweto people earning an honest living via their taverns and small shops were also looted and they lost their source of income.
When the people find that the police don’t not protect them, they take action to protect themselves and their property. The police then accuse them of using violence. There should be a commission of inquiry into the reasons for this tragedy. The commission should be led by an independent investigator from abroad so no SA politician is saved from blame.
Widespread corruption and fraud is rampant in our country. Minister Lindiwe Sisulu recently admitted this. The Medupi power station is still not complete after 14 years of construction and expenditure of R134bn. Usually it take five years to build a power station and half the money to complete it. Some are sabotaging the power station building so they can keep their jobs. Where is the government’s watchdog?
More than R2-trillion has been stolen from state coffers by politicians and civil servants at the expense of the poor and the downtrodden since 1994.
Why does the government not build RDP houses at a rapid pace and rid the country of informal settlements. We should get construction companies from China, India, Russia, the Netherlands, US and Britain and let them build houses rapidly in all parts of the country. One of the conditions must be that they use local labour so our people can have jobs in the building sector.
Our country has plenty of money but lacks the will and compassion for the poor and downtrodden. There is not enough money for the greedy. Mahatma Gandhi said that there is enough money in the world for all the peoples to have a decent life but not enough for the selfish and greedy. We should not forget that Gandhi, like Nkosi Albert Luthuli, got their political education in SA.
SA is considered as the most unequal of societies in the world by international organisations like the UN. My tribute to Sisulu for admitting that there is widespread corruption and fraud not only in her department but also in the country.
Sell state enterprises like SAA and Eskom to save billions of rands of losses and let private companies be the owners. European airlines like Sabena and Alitalia were recently grounded after billions of euros in losses.
We could use the billions of rands to better the quality of life of the people. The government should introduce compulsory employment for all unemployed youth from 18 to 30 years old and let them work in both government departments and private companies.
The government can subsidise the salaries for up to R2,000 per month. This will at least give young people some perspective. Surely they will use most of the money to buy clothes, food and shelter. That money flows back into the economy.
The government should not take the standard used by ANC Youth League members to be 35 to count as youth. Let’s give Elon Musk a reward and maybe that will encourage him to invest in his and our country too.
- Sears Appalsamy is a Sowetan reader
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