South Africa is not dying, it’s already dead

I love South Africa. I truly do.  But I don’t recognise her anymore. I don’t know who she is anymore.

It’s like I have developed slow amnesia, slowly forgetting how beautiful and prosperous our beautiful country once was.

It’s so sad to see what has become of South Africa that was once promoted with the advertising slogan “alive with opportunity”. Sadly, “rest in peace” seems to be on the lips of many as the country grapples with so many issues that even government doesn’t know where to start fixing them.

South Africa is dead

South Africa is not dying, it’s dead and about to be lowered into a grave.

How do I explain to my kids that the beautiful country we once lived in has denigrated to the lowest pits and is not recognisable anymore.

What will be left of this country for our children when they grow up? I don’t see any silver lining on the dark clouds as the soul of South Africa slowly fades away.

This is a conversation I had with family and friends over the weekend when one person retorted, “South Africa has gone to the dogs. There is no future for our children in this country anymore”.

I tried hard to dismiss his comment but the more I tried the more I realised it rang true.

Predicting the future

There is so much wrong with South Africa at the moment, from crime to corruption and the limited supply of electricity and even water.

It’s no secret that there is a collapse of infrastructure, including railways, cable theft and even buildings and state resources.

Even the currency has tanked against other denominations as the price of petrol continues to spike putting pressure on everyday commodities and massive price tags on basic food like maize meal.

Most of these challenges have taken a toll on South Africans, and I haven’t even mentioned load shedding yet.

What is Ramaphosa doing?

When President Cyril Ramaphosa takes three months since being re-elected as leader of the ANC to execute a cabinet reshuffle, you that know South Africa is in serious trouble. Or consider when ministers go off the rails as remembered in this tweet by comedian Kagiso Lediga.

“Just remembered that we once had a finance minister who quoted Kendrick Lamar in parliament, said “we gonna be alright” then we hard cut to the same guy holding his penis saying ‘imagine this in your mouth’. We’ve been through a lot!!”

Indeed, South Africa has been through a lot and unfortunately there is more to come.

ALSO READ: ANC government works hard to sink South Africa

Grey listed

Last week, South Africa was added to the Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) notorious grey list of countries deemed to have inadequate anti-money laundering and counterterrorist financing (AML/CFT) controls.

That relegates SA’s global financial standing to the ranks of Albania, South Sudan and Yemen, meaning local companies and citizens are likely to face increased compliance scrutiny when transacting across borders.

The National Treasury posted a fact sheet on its website on the implications of being grey-listed.

It said it typically takes one to three years for countries to deal with their AML/CFT deficiencies and be removed from the grey list.

Do our children have a future in SA?

So let me ask you this, what future will our kids really have or what will be left of South Africa in 10 or 15 years?

At the moment we have load shedding at unprecedented levels, collapsing infrastructure, widespread cable theft, looting and corruption including the thousands of potholes across the country.

And the cabinet reshuffle will likely see the president appoint ministers who aren’t capable of doing what is needed to fix this country. They will instead be aligned like chess pieces to protect him from losing his job.

SA a crock

The first step in solving any problem is recognising there is one.

Sadly, South Africa is not a great country anymore. It has become an old crock and it’s going to take a lot to lift this country out of the doldrums.

Politicians continue to make elaborate promises and jostle for positions to be the next leader as everything around them crumbles.

You have the power

South Africa is dead and this is my message to you.

When you go to the polls next year vote with your conscience and your heart and show those who are in the highest echelons of power that have messed up your country that you are not blinded by loyalty. Show them that you really care for South Africa, even if it means that new leaders are needed to heal the wounds inflicted on this country.

If you know what is happening in South Africa and keep silent, there will be nothing left for your children.

Former public protector Thuli Madonsela shared an apt quote.

“When you know the truth is on your side, you remain serene as some contort themselves in transparent lies and tricks #JustAThought,” she wrote.

Rest in peace South Africa.