The government loves to create jobs out of thin air.
This is how they try to fool people that unemployment is being addressed. Except this is not the case, which has resulted in the inflated public sector of servants who basically have nothing to do.
In light of such a trend, maybe a new ministerial position should be proposed – Minister of Interviews.
In a time when South Africa is clinging to its last straw of dignity, we need someone who can school politicians on how to salvage SA’s tainted image.
Sure, the Minister of Interviews might no do much for the R1-million plus salary and luxury vehicles, but is this not the case of the cabinet in general?
If we had such a person educated in the art of handling an interview, then maybe the embarrassment of ANC stalwart and former National Assembly Speaker Baleka Mbete could have been avoided.
She was interviewed on Head to Head by Mehdi Hasan, who challenged her on whether, in the 25 years since apartheid, her party has betrayed Nelson Mandela’s legacy and the dreams of South Africa’s rainbow nation.
For the whole world to see, she made it blatantly clear that she didn’t see the last decade as being a loss. This despite Eskom teetering on complete collapse, along with every other state-owned enterprise.
This will explain why things have gone to hell and back so swiftly – it seems those in charge live in a fantasy world of denial, or maybe they just don’t give a hoot.
Shockingly, she said the governing party cannot be blamed for South Africa’s problems.
Is this not the ruling government’s defence for how long, always blaming other people, especially apartheid, yet never looking in the mirror for the answers?
Talking about the old regime, Mbete said criminality was brought to South Africa by colonialists.
Yes, the British Empire is to be blamed for the high levels of murder, for the farm attacks and sexual crimes against women.
It is not because the government has failed to create a thriving economy and sustainable jobs. No, of course not, it is the colonials’ fault for the unemployment rate of 27 per cent, which has left so many people desperate and resorting to desperate means to survive.
She even replied “so what” when confronted with the reality that South Africa had the fifth-highest murder rate in the world in 2015. Does that not sum up government’s general reaction to SA’s decline into chaos – “so what”.
Mbete was reminded that according to the World Bank, South Africa is the most unequal nation on earth. She replied that the World Bank is not God.
Enough said, even though members of the audience probably thought they were injected with a hallucinogenic. Sadly, the circus of events they witnessed was not a figment of their imagination but a reality which we as citizens have to digest daily.
She also denied having been aware of the looting of state-owned enterprises and state capture. She even said there were many issues she is learning about for the first time in the past few months.
This despite being in the thick of all the government’s actions and decisions for the last decade.
Asked about Mbeki’s HIV/Aids denialism during his presidency, during which antiretroviral drugs were not provided and garlic and beetroot were punted as cures, leading to approximately 330 000 deaths, Mbete responded she was “too busy” to talk to Mbeki about the matter.
She was apparently also too busy when time came to scrutinise the “security upgrades” at Zuma’s Nkandla homestead.
Mbete repeatedly denied accountability on several other issues, even asking what is the point [of asking these questions] as it is all supposedly in the past.
Just as shocking is it when she said she will ‘find out’ when asked what has been done to hold anyone accountable since the Marikana massacre in 2012.
This interview revealed brutally the honest truth as to why South Africa is in such a mess – because it seems those in charge are too busy. Or they are not informed. Or they do not care. Or because it is all in the past.
Yes, it seems everybody it too busy to really save our country, as we continue to play the blame game and refuse to be held accountable for anything.
This country is in a serious crisis due to a lack of strong political leadership. Such a crisis is also brewing in the opposition party following the resignation of Mmusi Maimane.
It seems we have leadership issues in general, even among the Proteas following the abysmal test series whitewash against India. And the blame game was also played to shy away from accountability.
Welcome then to our country of “so what”, and where we pay attention to no one’s expert opinion because apparently we are guided by God.
