Freedom is not a narrowed protected expression, making of free choices and access to certain buildings or access to previously restricted areas. Freedom must broadly guarantee real rights to property, access to food security, land, jobs and complete sovereignty of the nation without colonial masters. However, this is not real but pseudo freedom when it comes to SA. The indigenous Africans are in abject poverty, jobless and landless. There is no freedom day to celebrate.
The first democratic elections of 1994, which the ANC won with an overwhelming majority, brought us what is termed as “New SA” or rainbow nation, with the Constitution rated as the best worldwide. There is no single country which has ever benchmarked its Constitution with ours, we remain the best mockery. The ANC leaders have dismally failed to fight against the institutionalised racism, exploitation and the land question. SA has on estimate 1,2-million square km of land but only less than 10% has been distributed to the indigenous Africans.
The ANC failed to utilise the opportunity given by an overwhelming majority from 1994 until 1999 during the period of Thabo Mbeki. The 29 years of the ANC on the throne can be defined as years of cowardice, blunders and shame.
The land restitution programme in SA has compromised the national struggle of the return of the land to its rightful owners. The introduction of ‘willing buyer willing seller’ was a terrible blunder committed by leaders, and its damage is irreparable if there is no radical shift of constitutional amendments, particularly on the property clause.
SA is on the brink of collapse as a result of ineffective state-owned enterprises such as Eskom, Transnet, Denel, Prasa and other strategic industries. The corruption is rife in government institutions and no one is held accountable. Various municipalities are engaged in corruption, outsourcing almost all services to consultants, while some are still being investigated for investing monies in VBS mutual bank, and there is no satisfactory progress on consequence management.
Aubrey Ngwatle
President of Socialist Agenda of Dispossessed Africans (Sada)
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