Dire erosion of expertise

The finance minister’s medium-term budget policy statement cannot disguise the fact that SA is a country bled dry of funds and resources.

Even more tragic than the hundreds of billions of rand siphoned off to Dubai is the erosion of expertise in all the state-linked enterprises and departments. Just as is happening with the Public Investment Corporation board, the puppets of state capture had to first rid all decision-making bodies of anyone with experience, skill and integrity. They did this by sacking them on trumped-up charges (such as the current attack on Dan Matjila) or simply forcing them to resign.

They were replaced with underqualified personnel with neither experience nor scruples, often appointed with a specific mandate.

For example, as soon as he was made a four-day finance minister, Des van Rooyen was escorted to his office to approve the VR LaserDenel joint venture, which would greatly benefit the Guptas. This had been queried the previous day by sacked finance minister Nhlanhla Nene. Were it not for President Jacob Zuma and his cronies, all the institutions formerly run by capable and experienced boards and decision-makers would today look very different – South African Airways, Eskom, Transnet, Prasa, Denel, the SABC, the Department of Co-operative Governance and probably many others, not to mention the National Prosecuting Authority, the revenue service and now presumably the Treasury.

Even if we were able to turn the economy around, the loss to the functioning of our governance and infrastructure is irreparable.

M Marchand

Pretoria