Africa Self-Destruction

[DaveM]

Slowly as each African country gained independence they seem to have slipped do the same road that South Africa now sees itself in. Is this a cultural thing in Africa where they seem inept to govern a country without it slipping into complete decay.

We see many of the African countries that were in the past having a strong economy now in a state of utter ruin. Some of these countries are now so bad that the people are becoming refugees and a problem for host countries.

Full Story Here - South Africa Self-Destruction Is a Lesson for Africa

The country of South Africa, which encompasses the southern region of Africa, consistently portrays a picture of self-destruction and this is a vitally important lesson for Africa. Is there a responsibility of South Africa toward the African Continent? African nations on the continent often complain about the arrogance of the South African people who act as if they are superior. The United Nations in their dealings with the South African Defense Force members complain about their arrogant attitude.

Could it be that the African continent’s economies are being held back by the sluggish growth prevalent in South Africa? Corruption is spiralling out of control in this country. Whilst the South African President is being implicated in many irregularities, his indiscretions seem to be way smaller than under his predecessor.

So what are your thoughts on this and what could be done to fix Africa?

 

[Rooster]

Dave,

I have a suspicion that much of Africa's problems with corruption right now can be traced back to the active influence of Western Governments and corporations, especially to include "behind-the-scenes" actions.

But, based on your location, you probably have a better perspective on it than I do.

Any thoughts?

 

[DaveM]

The problem here is the corruption is in any aspect of business and it basically becomes a free for all. Then again with you acting President ( Jacob Zuma) having over 800 corruption charges dropped against himself in 2009 what more can you expect. However things seem to be getting a bit hot for him right now but is this a bit later after the country is basically facing utter collapse.

South African court rules Jacob Zuma can be charged over corruption

President had tried to overturn a court order that prosecutors should reinstate 800 charges dropped in 2009



Jacob Zuma has battled several corruption scandals while in office. Photograph: Mike Hutchings/Reuters
Agence France-Presse in Johannesburg


A South African court has thrown out Jacob Zuma’s attempt to appeal against a ruling that he should face almost 800 corruption charges, piling pressure on the embattled president.

Zuma had tried to overturn a court order in April that the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) should reinstate the charges that were dropped in 2009 shortly before he came to power.

The charges relate to alleged corruption, racketeering, fraud and money laundering over a multibillion-dollar arms deal.

The president has battled several corruption scandals while in office, as well as enduring growing criticism focused on South Africa’s record unemployment and poor growth rate.

“We seriously considered whether the appeal would have reasonable prospects of success and came to the conclusion that there are no merits in the arguments,” Judge Aubrey Ledwaba told the high court in Pretoria.

“The applications for leave to appeal ... are dismissed.”

In 2009, state prosecutors justified dropping the 783 charges by saying that tapped phone calls between officials in then president Thabo Mbeki’s administration showed undue interference in the case.

The move cleared the way for Zuma, leader of the African National Congress (ANC), to be elected as South Africa’s president just weeks later.

The tapped phone recordings, which became known as the “spy tapes”, were kept secret until they were released in 2014 after a legal battle fought by the main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance (DA).

The DA hailed the court decision as a victory, and claimed the charges were automatically reinstated by the ruling.

“The prosecution against President Jacob must proceed and he must have his day in court,” it said in a statement.“The NPA must give President Zuma a date by which he is to appear in court.”

The presidency and the NPA were not immediately to comment.

The ANC faces testing municipal elections on 3 August when the DA and the Economic Freedom Fighters hope to gain ground with voters frustrated by lack of progress in South Africa since apartheid rule ended in 1994.

Zuma, 74, will have completed two terms in 2019 and is not eligible to run for president again, but the ANC could replace him ahead of the next general election.

In March, the president lost another major legal case when South Africa’s highest court found he violated the constitution over the use of public funds to upgrade his private residence.

It has reach the point now where they don't even try to hide what they doing as they are basically untouchable with the vast majority still supporting them no matter what.

 

[DrLeftover]

Corruption in African governments pre-dates the European Colonial period, although said outside influence may have helped prefect the fine art of graft and influence peddling, but it is well established that local rulers had no problem selling out their own people, or even themselves, for profit.

But, in today's society, it is in vogue to blame "the white man" for every ill in the world, we can go with it.

Which also implies that once that influence is removed, the honorable and noble black man should be able to sort out the problems and eventually run their own affairs without any serious issues, and return to their peaceful and idyllic ways, the West should spread some cash around to the locals, then 'wash their hands' of the continent and let them be.



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[Webster]

For all the talk of South Africa's impending demise and the rampant corruption and all that, they have one thing a lot of sub-Saharan Africa doesn't have: a viable opposition, principally in the Democratic Alliance (DA) but also in parties on the ANC's side of the aisle (COPE, the EFF, etc.). The more that those parties continue to chip away at the ANC's majority - particularly in the provinces (the DA already has a majority in the Western Cape; there's no reason they can't build on it elsewhere) - eventually one of two things will happen:

(1) the ANC will revert to its' neighbors actions and become a one-party autocracy....or (2) the ANC will adapt and actually decide to start running things as we might expect them to.

A few months ago, I was fortunate enough to run into a friend of mine that I'd known over on an F1 board who was born in 1984, lived through the 94 period and still lives in South Africa (he's from the Natal region, by the way, and currently lives near Durban) and I asked him what he hoped to see in his native land; after some deep thought, he said, "As a member of the Born Free generation of South Africans," - his words there - "I wan to see a South Africa that both acknowledges its' past but embraces the future, a South Africa that has a foot squarely in Africa and a foot squarely in the West, a South Africa where frankly, to borrow your own country's ideals, it shouldn't matter whether you are Anglo, Afrikaner, Zulu, Xhosa..whether you are from the former Cape province or from Natal or the former Transvaal, it...shouldn't...matter. That's the South Africa I want, that's the South Africa that I want for my children and that's the South Africa I want the world to see!"

The kicker here? Trevor - that's my friend's name - is of Afrikaner descent, so try to imagine what's going through his mind when he sees South Africa; forget what you or I or anyone else here may think about the country....in a sense, South Africa is a country that is both blessed and cursed, a country that should've long been a beacon for the rest of Southern Africa but could only recently begin doing so, a country that's managed to figure out in some ways how to integrate a numerous number of races and groups, all of which spent decades fighting one another, into one country...not a melting pot per se', but a salad bowl, each part separate but adding to the whole.

 

[DaveM]

For all the talk of South Africa's impending demise and the rampant corruption and all that, they have one thing a lot of sub-Saharan Africa doesn't have: a viable opposition, principally in the Democratic Alliance (DA) but also in parties on the ANC's side of the aisle (COPE, the EFF, etc.). The more that those parties continue to chip away at the ANC's majority - particularly in the provinces (the DA already has a majority in the Western Cape; there's no reason they can't build on it elsewhere) - eventually one of two things will happen:

This sure is a beckon of hope to most South Africans no matter what race you might be. Just as a matter of interest when you cross the border line into the Western Cape the difference is striking. Infrastructure is far better maintained than than any other province in South Africa at this point in time.

I would say the majority of South Africans really do just want to live side by side without any of the ill feelings that are pushed on us daily. The unfortunate part about the political situation is the majority of the populaces feel they have a debit to pay the ANC for winning independence and will vote for them no matter what. The strange thing is we have running protests just about one every day due to bad service delivery from the ANC.

Today they will be out protesting, tomorrow we will have an election and they will still vote ANC and be out the very next day protesting once again. The sad thing about these protest they are very seldom peaceful and we have a lot of destruction and at times death during such protests.

 

[otis booard]

May God help guide the entire country to better days.