Government dabbles in failure and it impacts South Africa’s economy

Never before in our country’s history has the politics of racial hatred and racial marginalisation been propagated as aggressively and as relentlessly as now.

In addition, everyone blames everyone as no-one is willing to be held accountable as it may make them complicit in their myriad of failures.

Our president, content to bask in the government’s failures, is the prime driver of policy madness.

Despite turning a blind eye to farm murders, the massive unemployment and poor business and employment policies it has created and enforced, the government really couldn’t be bothered by the people who pay much-needed taxes, keep industries going, and create jobs.

Apart from the government’s desire to create its own version of “Cold War” politics, this short-sightedness has had a massive negative economic and social impact on the country.

Coupled with a dysfunctional foreign policy, SA has worked hard to alienate itself from its voters and the international community.

Instead, it has taken to regurgitating the politics of conflict and choosing sides while loudly proclaiming neutrality.

The consistent failure of our government across multiple areas has created obstacles that impact negatively on growth and stability.

It has increased poverty levels and tensions across the country with its domestic divide-and-rule approach.

It believes this approach will allow it to remain in power and continue looting the state’s coffers.

To cling to power, the president has recently made numerous utterances to create the perception that he’s actually governing.

This has also resulted in new ministerial posts being created, such as the minister of electricity. Will we soon be getting a minister of potholes, or a minister of incompetence?

The efforts to begin maintaining and repairing critical infrastructure are more window-dressing than actual attempts to fix what they allowed to break – and in some instances broke themselves.

Are these acts part of the government’s attempts to show they are actually doing something in an attempt to gain votes for the upcoming election?

Key sectors such as agriculture, electricity, manufacturing, and mining have been undermined by the government who wishes to control everything where they can make money and loot.

SMMEs and households have been adversely affected by this criminal approach to development – or rather to ensure underdevelopment.

The country’s financial hub, Johannesburg, is riddled with potholes and has experienced months of load shedding.

To add to the debilitating poverty and out-of-control crime, it now has to contend with water shedding and an exploding gas line.

To add to our woes, and as an indication of the levels of uncontrolled barbarity the citizens are forced to endure, members of our law enforcement structures now attack and assault citizens – and get away with it, or at worst, get a rap over the knuckles.

The tendering system the government developed, aimed at enriching themselves and cronies at the expense of all else, has failed miserably.

It has become a scheme to embezzle money by doing as little as possible to the benefit of a few and to the disadvantage of everyone else.

Now the ruling party has announced publicly that it cannot work as a coalition government. That is perfectly understandable as it could never work as a government.

But was this a subtle warning that it will do everything in its power to remain the leader of government?

Is the latest gimmick to send two female astronauts into space “in the near future” another example of the government’s disconnect with reality?

Perhaps, and before embarking on such costly venture, the government should fix what needs fixing before attempting such a venture.

If South Africa was a ship, all of its engines are now in reverse mode.

While government dabbles in failure and basks in its incompetence, the citizens of this great country must suffer in silence.

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Isaac Mashaba is an independent political analyst