SA’s moral high ground has turned into a mudslide

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has not only re-established the redivision of the world into two major power blocks (East versus West), it has also sharply divided opinion in South Africa.

There are those in our government who believe it is totally acceptable to invade another country, slaughter its civilian population and destroy its infrastructure, as long as one does not admit to doing it.

Perhaps we will soon be adding this approach to our failed foreign policy playbook and invade Lesotho – as long as we do not admit to doing it.

But that idea would be a pipe dream, as our armed forces are both broke and incapable of achieving much – thanks to our government’s approach to decimate the security forces of South Africa.

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One must ask whether the government is worried that strong and capable security forces will put pressure on them to actually reform instead of just practising useless rhetoric? Or are they worried the security forces will put an end to the endless cycle of crime committed in the name of the state?

The once moral high ground South Africa took after 1994 has developed into a mudslide – and citizens are being trapped under the muck by incompetent and corrupt politicians and government officials.

Yet, we appear to have become numb to the crisis government has driven us into. People have given up hope and are now preparing for the worst.

In the late 1800s, Frederick Douglass wrote: “Where justice is denied, where poverty is enforced, where ignorance prevails, and where any one class is made to feel that society is an organised conspiracy to oppress, rob and degrade them, neither persons nor property will be safe.”

Perhaps it is time for the government to reflect on these words.

Success, however, is not a word that can be readily associated with our government. Its only success has been in creating failures, and failures are always blamed elsewhere: Jan van Riebeek, apartheid, “the whites”, “clever blacks”, xenophobia, Covid, “the West”, and more.

Introspection is only applied to personal wealth and how to increase it through all and any means.

Crime and corruption is not off the table. Given the Zondo commission’s shocking findings that many deployees, government officials and politicians are akin to being a criminal organisation, that commit mass corruption and defraud of the state, why has no senior implicated official or minister been arrested?

Or are politicians entitled to steal while lesser mortals must be arrested and incarcerated?

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Eskom, our once world famous, respected and admired power utility is now unable to provide power. As a result of corruption, sabotage and gross negligence, businesses have been forced to close, tourism has taken a knock, industries are unable to function optimally, and every citizen has been a victim of this government’s failure of immense proportions.

The billions and billions of rands allocated to get Eskom functioning has simply added more money to the trough the politicians eat at.

This greed permeates into our failed foreign policy, where the government condemns those who act in a similar manner as they do. Numerous corrupt political exiles and on-the-run criminals have found safe haven and refuge in South Africa. Could it be that birds of the same feather flock together?

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Perhaps this is why our so-called neutrality favours authoritarian regimes, where governments can do as they please.

Our laughable foreign policy – laughed at across Africa and beyond – is unapologetically aligning the country with authoritarian and pariah governments – and overseas soccer teams.

Having successfully steered the country towards failure while rubbing shoulders with despots and helping to launder their money the country now faces greylisting.

People are becoming angry, and the pot is about to boil over.