‘We are part of Africa so let’s join this esteemed club of failures’

The resident believes the Covid crisis has certainly shone a bright light on government’s failures that cannot be covered up

January 31, 2021

Tayla Smit 1 minute read

Howard Skeens, of Sunward Park, writes:

Amazing how certain events starkly highlight large cracks in government’s promises and what actually occurred.
Yes certain events that were usually “papered” over or just plain ignored.
The Covid crisis has certainly shone a bright light on government’s failures that cannot be covered up. One noticeable government practice is charging more for poor and diminishing services.
At local government level the latter is starkly illustrated when you look around.
The pock-marked roads with varying sizes of potholes, the grass verges encroaching on the roads, collapsing infrastructure and the general shabbiness of the towns on the East Rand are supported by inflation-beating rates increases.
The moribund economy, a direct result of poor government decisions and bureaucratic laws, resulted in reduced tax revenues that were not covering the escalating fraud.
The answer: increase VAT to 15 per cent. Everyone now pays more for goods and services and zero improvement in service delivery, in fact, the reverse. Central and provincial government departments couldn’t paper over their incompetent handling and blatant theft of PPE funds. Who’s going to pick up the tab for this huge loss of money? No one’s gone to jail. Surely the procurement officers who signed off the tenders should be the first port of call.
What increases can we expect in the 2021 budget? Forget liquor – nothing there, sales are banned! Can we confidently say ANC interference in Eskom has resulted in a world-renowned, efficient supplier of (cheap) power collapsing into continuous loadshedding? To regularly experience non-supply and damaged appliances we have to pay more! In fact, something like a 400 per cent increase in 10 years for pathetic service.
Is there light at the end of the proverbial tunnel? If the ANC remains in power the answer is an emphatic no. Borrowing to fund operating expenses leads to a failed state. We are part of Africa so let’s join this esteemed club of failures.