Who is driving the land issue?
THE ANC now seem intent on rolling out the confiscation of whiteowned land without compensation and changing the constitution to effect this – despite many agreeing it’s not the constitution that is at fault but ANC incompetence.
This despite the new president’s commitment to bring this about in a manner that doesn’t prejudice food security and is only implemented after a thorough land audit.
Baying at their heels are a rampant EFF and the BFLF movement, who have made this their primary focus now that Jacob Zuma has gone.
I am struggling to understand how this is now going to transform the lives of millions of largely landless black people living in rural areas or informal settlements. How many times have politicians fervently stated that they are fighting for the rights of the poor, who are quickly forgotten once they land a plum job as a minister and move into a mansion in Sandton?
Like radical economic transformation (RET), its cousin, the Confiscation of Land Without Compensation (COLWC) is thin on detail and thick on rhetoric.
It’s touted as an emotive issue, but for who? In my conversations with ordinary black people with who I interact, and reading about their aspirations in the media, I get the feeling that most educated black folk want to own a decent house in a decent area and send their kids to a decent school and live a decent life.
The last thing many of them even think about is the land issue.
It raises the question: who is driving this and who stands to gain the most? Many black folk, like their white counterparts, have bought houses in the suburbs and are happy with their lot.
Included in this mix are many politicians and civil servants.
It worries me when I hear of the EFF and the BFLF movements talking about “our people”, knowing they are only referring to a small band of black Africans.
I and many other white South Africans, some of whom are
Wonder if Zuma’s laughing now?
INEVITABLY, skeletons are now beginning to tumble from cupboards and shenanigans which were once endorsed by the highest in the land are sending many scuttling for cover, protesting their innocence.
The ongoing saga surrounding the Gupta brothers continues to fascinate, not least the aspect involving the now-you-see-it-nowyou-don’t private jet which has apparently evaporated into the ether, much to the consternation of the Canadian bank which financed it.
The sheer gangsterism which has gripped the country for the last decade cannot have happened without the tacit approval of former president Jacob Zuma, although many believe he was an enthusiastic participant in looting the coffers.
In those halcyon days he could shrug off awkward questions with arrogance by saying things like, “Why are you asking me about it? It has nothing to do with me. I know nothing about it. I do not work in that department,” all interspersed with manic giggling.
Zuma’s time is coming and I, for one, cannot wait to see him before court. The country deserves no less.
JOHN GARDENER Howick seventh or eighth generation South Africans, believe ourselves to be as African as a Sipho Dlamini, just as a fifth generation Pakistani living in London sees himself as British.
We were born in this country, and love it and feel as out of place in Dublin as Sipho Dlamini would. My heart breaks for the legions of really poor people in SA, most of whom are unfortunately black, and I thank my lucky stars every night that I live in a small brick and tile house.
And I spend sleepless nights thinking about ways of improving their lot and get angry with greedy politicians who say they fight for their rights but who really only fight for their own.
I get especially angry with the likes of Julius Malema who go out of their way to denigrate whites and pay lip service to poor blacks.
I get angry with the Zulu king who has done zero to uplift the lives of the Zulu people who worship him as their monarch but expects them to go to war for him.
Have Africans been deprived of good leadership for so long that that they have forgotten what qualities a good leader should have?
I get angry with the Umkhonto we Sizwe veterans and movements like the Amadelangokubona Business Forum who seem intent on spreading racial hatred using violence and intimidation and the excuse of RET to hide their criminal intentions.
I get really sad that 25 years down the line, there are still people, black and white, who just can’t let go of their hatred.
Unfortunately, the poor will continue to be used as cannon fodder as many of them are poorly educated, and they do unfortunately make up the majority.
Our European forefathers have a lot to answer for, and the ANC should also hang their heads in shame as their failed policies have ensured the poor have remained poor.
And like Zanu-pf, the EFF continue to feed the poor with the tired old propaganda that evil white people are responsible for their continued indigence.
I don’t see how we can repair the past by punishing the offspring of those who were responsible for the problems we now have. Most white people had to buy their properties; our parents had to sacrifice to send us to university, and we had to pay for everything we own.
We know about the evils of the past, but many of us realise you can’t fix the past. We also know that in 1994 the biggest mistake the ANC made was to offer free houses, education, electricity, etc because nothing is free and if one person is receiving something without working for it, someone else is paying for it somewhere else.
We need to create a common identity without losing our own heritage, much like the many immigrant families in SA did.
But to foster unity we need to have one vision, failing which, tribe will continue to fight tribe, and we will all be the losers in the end. SA is a beautiful land, so please let’s not stuff it up. If ever there was a time for cool heads, now is the moment.
PETER WORMAN
Bluff