No light at the end of very long, dark tunnel

Zuma will have unfettered power over the budget, writes Jean Michel of Bryanston.

The firing of Pravin Gordhan will transfer more power into the hands of the country’s ever-increasing authoritarian President as he wants to have oversight over the budget.

He puts all his pawns into key positions and seems to be taking lessons from his long-time friend, the Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, who is doing the same and wants to change even the Turkish constitution to suit his plans.

It sounds familiar doesn’t it, when Zuma says repeatedly that he wants to change the constitution so he can go ahead with the so-called radical economic transformation.

And Treasury was an obstacle because it wasn’t giving money for his frivolous and idiotic and not thought through plans.

If approved, it would be the most comprehensive takeover of all the levers of power, executive and otherwise, by one man who has brought South Africa to the edge of the abyss, as we have seen the last week with our downgrade to junk status.

He will have unfettered and overseeing power over the budget and this will be the beginning of the end for SA.

The president’s grandiose plans will see him as the sole beneficiary of whatever he puts on the table and demands to be implemented.

With the finance minister out of the way as he was the last obstacle to his nefarious plans, and to marry his teams of looters he has everywhere, I see no light at the end of a very dark tunnel.