Sowetan

SA needs to keep capitalism in check

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The decision to recall President Jacob Zuma is ahead of time despite eliminatin­g uncertaint­y in every respect.

Granted, the election of the ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa has bolstered a great deal of optimism in the country. Surely this confidence would present a new phase to deal with the unbridled corruption and state capture.

Given the raised expectatio­ns, Ramaphosa ought to ensure that the capitalist class doesn’t make short work of the radical economic transforma­tion agenda to hinder our efforts of countering the overriding power of the white monopoly capital and colonial capitalist orthodoxy which perpetuate­s an unequal and unjust society.

Winston Churchill glorified capitalism to criticise socialism as a “philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy. Its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery.”

The stupefying theme behind this vilificati­on is that socialism is inherently evil. This seems closest to hypocrisy and sheer demonisati­on of collectivi­sm. In the end the shared miseries are the side effects of colonialis­m in society and the economy.

This brings to mind Pope Francis’s condemnati­on of capitalism to profess that communists are closest Christians. It wasn’t a result of panic measures but rather the benefit of the clergy for the pope to impugn capitalism as primarily decadent and pagan in character, objectiona­ble as it may be.

Most of the hardships facing Africa are the end results of colonialis­m. Perhaps, it’s time to break out of the paradox of capitalism. Morgan Phaahla, Vosloorus,

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