Written by: Errol Naidoo
Article source: familypolicyinstitute.com
President Cyril Ramaphosa’s much anticipated cabinet re-shuffle turned out to be an underwhelming exercise. Ramaphosa expanded his underperforming and already bloated cabinet to 30 ministers including five ministers in the presidency and several deputy ministers.
It appears the president is rewarding loyal cadres by creating high paying positions for those who supported his re-election campaign for ANC president. South Africa has one of the largest government bureaucracies in the world with extraordinary costs to the overburdened tax-payer.
Ministerial posts are the most coveted in the ANC. Cabinet Ministers are provided mansions in Cape Town and Pretoria at R10 million each including VIP security, travel perks, and four luxury vehicles at massive costs to the tax-payer – while millions of families struggle to survive.
Recent government decisions prove the ANC mis-governs the country in its own best interest. President Ramaphosa appears to have lost interest in leading the nation. Despite promises to “fight corruption” – theft, fraud, money-laundering, racketeering and maladministration has escalated considerably under Ramaphosa’s administration with very few prosecutions.
Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala money laundering woes are not going away. The ANC billionaire president has not been forthcoming. No country can survive the staggering levels of theft of tax-payers money, fraud and destruction of critical state institutions like South Africa is experiencing.
South African citizens are paying a terrible price for ANC corruption and incompetence. The country’s economy shrunk by 1,3 percent in the last quarter of 2022 – more than expected. The record power outages contributed significantly to the economic downturn. Despite the appointment of the new Electricity Minister, business does not anticipate major improvement.
To add to the economic woes, credit rating agency Standard & Poor (S&P) downgraded South Africa’s outlook from positive to stable. It blamed the “slow reforms to address infrastructure shortfalls and to improve governance and performance at state-owned enterprises (SOEs) weighing on growth.” This is code for poor governance and gross incompetence at SOE’s.
South Africa was also officially “greylisted” recently by global financial crime watchdog, the “Financial Action Task Force” (FATF) for not fully complying with international standards that regulate the prevention of money laundering, terrorist financing and proliferation financing.
Security analysts agree, the country has become a haven for organised crime syndicates as a result of rampant corruption and inadequate policing and intelligence. Soaring crime rates does not appear to trouble the heavily guarded Ramaphosa who chose to retain the services of the inept Police Minister, Bheki Cele – whose staggering incompetence is widely criticised.
Former Eskom CEO, Andre De Ruyter’s recent revelations of massive corruption at the power utility made world headlines. Despite the Zondo Commission Report implicating senior ANC officials in the looting and destruction of Eskom, ANC Secretary General, Fekile Mbalula demanded De Ruyter withdraw his allegations because “It tarnished the ANC’s good name.”
Ramaphosa’s promise of a “New Dawn” has in reality delivered darker days. Many now believe South Africa under Ramaphosa is more corrupt than it was under Zuma and the Gupta crime family. Unemployment is higher, poverty has increased, crime is soaring, power outages are at record levels and higher inflation means the cost of living has increased considerably.
Mmusi Maimane once said during Jacob Zuma’s disastrous presidency, “We don’t have a Zuma problem, we have an ANC problem.” And that grim reality confronts citizens today. It doesn’t matter who the president is – if the ANC remains in power South Africa doesn’t stand a chance.
The ANC’s sole objective is to cling to power so they can loot tax-payers money to enrich its corrupt and incompetent cadres and cronies. Reports suggest they will even form a coalition with their sworn political foes, the EFF just to hang onto power. Now that’s desperation.
And that’s why the ANC used its parliamentary majority to pass the controversial “Electoral Amendment” Bill that disadvantage independent candidates and benefits the governing party. Several groups have indicated they will launch High Court challenges to this undemocratic Bill.
Tragically, however, despite clear indications the country is heading in the wrong direction, there are few protests coming from religious and civil-society leaders. South Africa is failing because of a crisis of leadership in almost every sector of society. So where are our country’s leaders?
Christian citizens must place their trust in God. We must fervently pray for the Lord’s intervention in our ailing nation. But you and I must also be the answer to our prayers. Pray and Act.
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear… Ps 46.
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Date published: 14/03/2023
Feature image: www.flickr.com/photos/governmentza
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We wanted the ANC….now we are crying because we are reaping what we have sown?
We want gay pride events in our towns!
We want same sex toilets!
We want abortions?
We want to kick God out of parliament, businesses and schools!
We want to support Halloween!
We want to vote for parties that has values that are completely against God’s value!
Etc
Etc
…hence we are now hurting!
Look at the rest of the world..why must we follow those evil nations? Why must we copy them?
Maybe if the believers in South Africa take heed to the following scripture:
“if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”
II Chronicles 7:14 NKJV
We must repent for all the evil in this land and turn away from sin!
On God can fix SA…not man!