Woeful is the norm in the ‘new’ South Africa

THE woes described by Australian visitor Roderick Diplock after going to the SASSA offices and the Department of Home Affairs (The Mercury, January 9) seem to have surprised and horrified him.

Both venues were teeming with people feeling humiliated and exasperated at the total inefficiency of both government departments.

Well, Mr Diplock, “you ain’t seen nothing yet”.

This is the norm in the “new” South Africa. After a quarter of a century of democratic rule under the ANC, you will find this in the majority of all government-run organisations, caused mainly by cadre deployment and the sheer incompetence of the staff.

How about not being able to get a valid driver’s licence because the only company in the country that makes them is unable to produce the licence because their staff have been on strike for nine months, or receiving a 2017 Christmas card in July the following year?

Have Australians ever heard of “load shedding” where your electricity is cut off for hours on end for no other reason than the state-owned enterprise controlling the power has been robbed blind by its own employees, until it is almost bankrupt?

Or where the police force are quite happy to ask you for a bribe when driving under the influence? Welcome to the “new” South Africa.

COLIN BURGER | Durban