Beware corruption and living costs

ON Saturday we had a glimpse of what we can achieve by working together. And it all happened at the iconic FNB Stadium.

First it was Bafana Bafana who beat Burkina Faso 2-0. A few hours later at the same stadium the Springboks annihilated Argentina.

Perhaps it was the 53 000-strong crowd. Perhaps it was their greater skill. Or perhaps it was the symbolism behind the Nelson Mandela Sport and Recreation Day.

Whatever the case the Springboks out-powered, out-muscled and outplayed their opponents.

Nelson Mandela would have been proud. Not only did South Africa triumph on the field. The coming together of our rainbow nation was what he fought for.

FW de Klerk was there. Thabo Mbeki was there. And so too was Kgalema Motlanthe. Interesting, Jacob Zuma wasn’t.

DECEMBER this year will be three years since the start of the so-called Arab Spring.

Since then the president of Tunisia and two Egyptian presidents (Hosni Mubarak and Mohamed Morsi) have been kicked out. Libya’s leader Muammar Gaddafi met a violent end while Syria remains embroiled in a full scale civil war.

There were many reasons why citizens kicked out these leaders. Corruption, the high cost of living, and unemployment were the most important ones in the Arab Spring.

South Africa faces similar problems and several analysts have warned of a populist uprising in this country if things don’t change.

Yet the reality is that almost three years after the Arab Spring began, economic conditions in the Middle East have not improved. They’ve gotten a lot worse.

The International Monetary Fund expects the region to grow at just over three percent – nowhere near the levels needed to improve the economy.

In Egypt, foreign direct investment has dried up. Tourism revenue has fallen. And the Egyptian pound has weakened considerably.

In the past few days hundreds of people have been killed as the army has gone on the offensive against the Muslim Brotherhood. Simply put the country is sliding into anarchy.

Egyptians are divided and killing one another. The security forces have lost control. Schools are closed. Businesses are closed. And curfews have been imposed.

The leader of the minority Christian community (Coptic Pope Tawadros II) supported the coup against Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi. As a result that community is now living in fear – their churches, homes and business attacked.

The situation is bad enough to make Jacob Zuma and his administration look good.