At one time we all expected that sub-Saharan Africa would rapidly develop and its nations would take their place at the table of forward thinking nations. After all, we had been told by the mainly white, left wing, self appointed 'intelligentsia', that the only thing holding them back was white 'imperialism' and 'colonialism'.
So when this ended for most African states in the 1960's, the new emergent nations had a lot of advantages. They had no external debts, resources in abundance, a young population, democracies, and the basic infrastructure of railroads, roads, airports, urban water supplies and schools. We all sat back and waited for the take-off.
When nothing happened in the 1970's, except that the democracies collapsed into dictatorships and Big Man politics, infrastructure was run into the ground or wasted, and poverty levels rose dramatically, as the inheritance was squandered inside a decade. We looked at the left wing theorists for an explanation, who without pausing for breath, stated that actually it was the continued presence of 'Apartheid' in Southern Africa that was holding the rest of the continent back. This of course conveniently ignored the fact that the only states still functioning properly on the continent were those very same apartheid states, where white minority rule kept the governance clean.
But, well, we all kept quiet and embargoed the last of these states, and so they collapsed, and the Republic of South Africa (the last of the hold outs), became a black majority rule country in the 1990's.
Now, over 20 years later we still await the African take-off .... there are no more excuses, and what now passes as the left wing 'intelligentsia' these days have little to say on the subject ... the excuses from their failed creed have all worn thin. The leading black African country, South Africa, is increasingly corrupt, and led by a man who was once considered in 2006 to be too mired in corruption to ever be President. But who was nonetheless elected by party and country, and who amongst other things believes that showering prevents STD's and AIDS. He is also still mired up to his neck in scandals, including major governance and corruption allegations associated with the Gupta family.
However in the latest of the new lows, President Zuma has just accused the opposition Democratic Alliance of using 'witchcraft' to stay in contention, and retain its power base in the Western Cape province. "In the last elections I was satisfied that we were taking the Western Cape‚ I even said so. What went wrong? I too can’t tell you. I don’t know‚ [maybe] it’s because of witchcraft, witches practice their craft in different ways."
He even has been quoted as saying that 'ghosts' might even been voting to keep the DA in power, during the speech made in both isiZulu and isiXhosa languages:
"I don’t know where they get the luck to win here because people in the majority are not living comfortably. Maybe even ghosts are voting.”
The Sowetan Live news organisation quoted Mr Zuma from a speech he made addressing fellow ANC party members at Lwandle Hall‚ in the south-western town of Strand. This being a year after his governing ANC party suffered crushing defeats in local elections, where the DA won control from the ANC in key areas. He was also reported as accusing his opponents of "[using] large sums of money‚ buying people" and stating that witches even "use electricity" these days. He added that he would never disappear, even if "people poisoned" him.
And this don't forget, is the President of the Republic of South Africa in the 21st Century ..... the last great hope of Black Africa ever getting of its knees. We should be despairing, but in fact such is the low expectations of Black Africa these days, that its reported without comment, as though this superstitious mumbo jumbo is perfectly normal for a head of state to be spouting.
Maybe that's the problem .... for an African head of state it is perfectly normal these days.
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| Colonial Map Africa 1950's |
So when this ended for most African states in the 1960's, the new emergent nations had a lot of advantages. They had no external debts, resources in abundance, a young population, democracies, and the basic infrastructure of railroads, roads, airports, urban water supplies and schools. We all sat back and waited for the take-off.
When nothing happened in the 1970's, except that the democracies collapsed into dictatorships and Big Man politics, infrastructure was run into the ground or wasted, and poverty levels rose dramatically, as the inheritance was squandered inside a decade. We looked at the left wing theorists for an explanation, who without pausing for breath, stated that actually it was the continued presence of 'Apartheid' in Southern Africa that was holding the rest of the continent back. This of course conveniently ignored the fact that the only states still functioning properly on the continent were those very same apartheid states, where white minority rule kept the governance clean.
But, well, we all kept quiet and embargoed the last of these states, and so they collapsed, and the Republic of South Africa (the last of the hold outs), became a black majority rule country in the 1990's.
Now, over 20 years later we still await the African take-off .... there are no more excuses, and what now passes as the left wing 'intelligentsia' these days have little to say on the subject ... the excuses from their failed creed have all worn thin. The leading black African country, South Africa, is increasingly corrupt, and led by a man who was once considered in 2006 to be too mired in corruption to ever be President. But who was nonetheless elected by party and country, and who amongst other things believes that showering prevents STD's and AIDS. He is also still mired up to his neck in scandals, including major governance and corruption allegations associated with the Gupta family.
However in the latest of the new lows, President Zuma has just accused the opposition Democratic Alliance of using 'witchcraft' to stay in contention, and retain its power base in the Western Cape province. "In the last elections I was satisfied that we were taking the Western Cape‚ I even said so. What went wrong? I too can’t tell you. I don’t know‚ [maybe] it’s because of witchcraft, witches practice their craft in different ways."
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| President Zuma Has Many Wives, And Holds Many Traditional Beliefs |
He even has been quoted as saying that 'ghosts' might even been voting to keep the DA in power, during the speech made in both isiZulu and isiXhosa languages:
"I don’t know where they get the luck to win here because people in the majority are not living comfortably. Maybe even ghosts are voting.”
The Sowetan Live news organisation quoted Mr Zuma from a speech he made addressing fellow ANC party members at Lwandle Hall‚ in the south-western town of Strand. This being a year after his governing ANC party suffered crushing defeats in local elections, where the DA won control from the ANC in key areas. He was also reported as accusing his opponents of "[using] large sums of money‚ buying people" and stating that witches even "use electricity" these days. He added that he would never disappear, even if "people poisoned" him.
And this don't forget, is the President of the Republic of South Africa in the 21st Century ..... the last great hope of Black Africa ever getting of its knees. We should be despairing, but in fact such is the low expectations of Black Africa these days, that its reported without comment, as though this superstitious mumbo jumbo is perfectly normal for a head of state to be spouting.
Maybe that's the problem .... for an African head of state it is perfectly normal these days.
Update August 2022: Well the years roll by and here we are 5 years later. Jacob Zuma was deposed in a party coup and faces a restart in August 2022 of his corruption trial. Meanwhile in June 2022 a damning report by the Zondo commission conformed that corruption in South Africa is now as rampant as anywhere else in Sub-Saharan Africa.
That under President Zuma, the looting of billions of dollars from South Africa's state coffers took place. But now his replacement, the self styled 'clean, anti-corruption' President Cyril Ramaphosa has been embroiled in accusations of money laundering and tax evasion.
This affair dubbed "farmgate", or 'dollagate' it centres on an alleged robbery of millions of dollars (allegedly hidden in cushions), by his staff and itinerant Namibians from his private farm, Phala Phala, in Limpopo province back in February 2020. Its alleged by Arthur Fraser, the country's former head of the State Security Agency, that the President sanctioned kidnappings, bribery and acting unlawfully by allegedly authorising the secret pursuit of suspects, who its alleged stole an estimated $4m (£3.2m) in foreign currencies from his farm.
According to ANC rules, anyone charged with corruption or other crimes must step down while investigations take place ... it seems unlikely we shall see Pres. Ramaphosa step down ... but in any case its time admit that South Africa has failed as is much a basket case as the rest of black Africa.
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