Common sense not so common after all

Such a statement could elicit different interpretations, but whatever our perception may be, in our modern age it remains clear that commonsense is not always the order of the day.

After all, one definition of common sense is that it is the ability to think and behave in a reasonable way and to make good decisions.

In light of this, how often are we seeing reasonable decision-making in South Africa that benefits the general public?

During the last National Budget, it was announced that taxpayers will pay an extra percentage point on personal income tax.

The government will also increase fuel levies by 80.5c per litre from April 1. This means that SA’s tax take from the pump price of petrol and diesel has jumped to a whopping 41 per cent.

This has also led to the frightening reality that the price of petrol could jump by R2 a litre next month.

Considering that taxpayers are already struggling to cope with a sharp spike in consumer prices, along with the added income tax payment, was it really such common sense by Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene to increase the fuel levy?

Nene wants to use the fuel levy to raise an extra R17-billion, but, to be quite frank, the way the government is using our beloved money — at the expense of our personal pain — to fund their projects leaves you with a sour taste.

You would think it is common sense to ensure that citizens have enough money in their pockets to spend to keep the wheels of the economy rolling. This will become even less likely with the strengthening of the dollar, which negatively impacts on the fuel price.

At this rate, with Nene’s not-so-common-sense budget, many taxpayers will be holding on to every penny for dear life, which will lead to a continuing slowing of economic growth.

On top of such drastic increases, it seems that E-tolls will definitely remain (maybe with a slight change in tariffs), with such a decision also falling short of any common sense.

The irony is that there was a proposal a while ago to get rid of E-tolls, by hiking the fuel levy to pay for the upgrades of the roads.

Some were very sceptical of such a proposal, as it would push up the price of petrol even more.

Lo and behold, fast forward to a chaotic 2015 and such a fuel levy has been introduced, not to pay for our roads, but to fund the government’s other projects, while we are still stuck with E-tolls!

Good luck in finding some common sense in such a tragic tale.

There was, surprisingly, one piece of common sense found in an unlikely place — Parliament.

Yes, the same Parliament that erupted into chaos with no regard to common sense during the State of the Nation address and which recently saw President Zuma survive a vote of no-confidence.

It was Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa who made sure that at least a glimmer of light stills shines in our land of irresponsible decisions and behaviours, when he said that retrenchments at Eskom must stop immediately.

This comes in light of a news article that reported that Eskom has to reduce the number of white engineers by 1 081, and white artisans by 2 179, to comply with new government requirements.

Ramaphosa, in turn, said that South Africa, and especially Eskom, needs all the skilled people who can be mustered.

And, of course, when one talks about skilled workers it shouldn’t be limited to race or colour.

At a time when Eskom apparently still faces a massive 18 000MW shortfall, the parastatal has said it does not have a policy of retrenching employees based on race and that, rather, a principle of natural attrition has been used when certain positions have become vacant.

Whatever the truth of the matter, common sense needs to prevail at Eskom, which has a duty to produce electricity that is reticulated to all the people in South Africa.

And please, can common sense please prevail on our roads?

The death of Minister Collins Chabane in a car crash has once again highlighted the dangers of our roads.

And no, reducing the alcohol limit for drivers to zero is not common sense, because it will do nothing to prevent the carnage.

To be frank, motorists need to apply simple common sense when driving, which means keeping to the speed limit, not driving like hooligans (which you still see daily) and ensuring vehicles are roadworthy.

To come back to Voltaire, if common sense was common, we would live in a country — and probably a world — where responsible decisions and behaviour will lead to satisfied, content and prosperous societies.