Written by: Errol Naidoo
Article source: familypolicyinstitute.com
President Cyril Ramaphosa reportedly cancelled his trip to the World Economic Forum to address the deepening energy crisis in the country. Reports suggest South Africa is teetering on the brink of stage 8 loadshedding – an unprecedented situation that will torpedo economic recovery.
Ramaphosa was re-elected as the “renewal” president at the recent ANC Elective Conference. He also promised citizens a “New Dawn” when he replaced Jacob Zuma as State President in 2018. However, the ANC clearly demonstrated renewal is not on its agenda when it elected several cadres implicated in fraud, theft, money-laundering and Gender Based Violence to its NEC.
Media reports indicate widespread backlash against the 18,65% and 12.74% tariff increases the National Energy Regulator of SA (NERSA) granted Eskom. The ANC destroyed the power utility as a result of gross maladministration and mind boggling corruption that persists to this day.
The tariff increases – unaffordable for the majority of citizens – is government’s way of passing the consequences of its staggering incompetence to the consumer. Major civil-society groups have joined forces to take government, Eskom and NERSA to court over the energy crisis.
The attempt on Eskom CEO, Andre De Ruyter’s life should concern every responsible citizen in SA. De Ruyter resigned from Eskom following personal attacks from Energy Minister, Gwede Mantashe. President Ramaphosa remained silent when Eskom management was publicly vilified.
Assassinating political rivals is a disturbing trend in SA. The tragic reality we face is that South Africa is mis-governed by a shameless criminal network masquerading as a political party. The number of (elected) ANC officials implicated in serious criminality reinforces this dire reality.
Millions of South African citizens face a bleak and uncertain future if the ANC remains in power beyond 2024. Several political analysts argue South Africa is already a full-blown gangster state. Soaring crime, endemic corruption and moral decay has impacted every sector of society.
ANC leaders often blame the “dark days of apartheid” to excuse its governing failures. But rampant corruption has plunged the nation into the dark days of ANC misrule. Living standards in SA has degraded to such an extent that like the Israelites in the wilderness, many are starting to view the “dark days of apartheid” a more tolerable option to disastrous ANC misrule.
Economists agree, South Africa’s fragile economy cannot endure protracted stage 6 load shedding for very much longer. It certainly cannot handle the looming catastrophe of stage 8 rolling blackouts. The ANC government offers no credible solutions to end this crisis soon.
In the lead up to the first Democratic Elections in April 1994, the nation faced the very real prospect of civil war. In fact, global media networks predicted it. However, several Church leaders joined hands to call the nation to pray for God’s intervention in South Africa’s political crisis.
Millions of Christians from all walks of life answered that call. They gathered in Church buildings, homes, stadiums and open fields to unite in prayer and intercession for the nation. God heard and answered these prayers. 27 April 1994 turned out to be the most peaceful day of the year.
Thankfully, Church leaders spoke up and mobilized Christian citizens to intervene on behalf of a nation in peril. The crisis we face today, almost 29 years into our democracy is equally ominous. As a consequence, it deserves a similar decisive response from the Church and its leadership.
In 2013, Ramaphosa declared, “Christians must be the moral conscience of the nation.” Christians, he added “must stand up and say corruption is a sin and a crime, we will never accept it.” Sadly, however, Church leaders appear to have grown more silent despite the growing moral crisis.
South Africa is failing because of a lack of decisive leadership. A few civil-society leaders have spoken out. But overall, most leaders are mere spectators of the nation’s alarming decline.
The question is posed in Ps 94v16-20 “Who will rise up for me against the wicked, who will take a stand for me against the evildoers? Unless the Lord had given me help, my soul would have settled in silence. Can a corrupt throne be allied with you, a throne that brings misery by its decrees?”
The good news is, the Lord remains our help in times of trouble. The Christian Church must answer this urgent call by demonstrating decisive and courageous leadership in times of national crisis and call Christian citizens to unite in fervent prayer and intercession for the nation.
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Date published: 17/01/2023
Feature image: Image for illustrative purposes only. Artwork adapted from unsplash.com
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