Where were you?

The poor in this country have only themselves to blame for the state of the public service. It is they, the majority, that have repeatedly re-elected the ANC circus. If these people who have brought this on themselves should ever rise up and take from those of us who pay the bulk of the taxes squandered by their elected clowns, then they would find themselves also responsible for the destruction of what the private sector contributes in spite of government incompetence. Indeed it is the public, not the private sector that has abandoned them.

> The poor in this country have only themselves to blame for
> the state of the public service. It is they, the majority,
> that have repeatedly re-elected the ANC circus.

Only themselves to blame? Not at all! The poor can rightly lay blame on many other parties, such as:

the ANC government, its corruption and ineptitude since 1994,
the Apartheid regime and its calculated brutality before that,
the British Empire and its imperial righteousness before that.

Prince Mashele is absolutely right to call on individual citizens to increase their work for the welfare of the larger community, not just themselves. We are not isolated individuals, but depend upon each other, and upon the wellbeing of our communities and environments, for our own wellbeing.

It's a question of co-existence, or no existence.

Superb article even though the current prognosis for SA is dire.

If we can't inspire better solidarity in people across the board, it's not going to work out. Ubuntu I'm sorry to say is just an empty word in SA. People need to learn how to help and support each other.

But, that is not enough. A competent public sector is desperately required and we should not be afraid of nationalizing key services provided they are managed correctly by those who have been successful in the private sector - there needs to be a similar approach to what happened in post-war Europe. Imagine if all private security companies were nationalized and incorporated into the Police force. Imagine if all taxi operators and private bus lines were merged into a single national public transport service. Imagine if we could deliver the same patient care in all hospitals. Imagine if all children could go to school feeling confident that they will acquire those skills needed to participate in the economy.

People before profits!

Brayten Bretenbach once said "Only the poor can break the shackles of exploitation and depency, poor makes stupid". In essence, the author is relevant for posing such question in the midst of economic downturn and the pace to which the plight of unemployment and crime is being tackled. We should set our goals and interests very clearly and back them with viable social and economic policies to ensure that these questions are being addressed before the situation becomes unimaginable. Indeed, we know that the rich middle class (9,3 million black diamonds)as the author reflected, have accrued massive political gains that have influenced the balance of forces to tilt into the favour while the rest of us are being neglected and left to scavenge for survival on daily basis. There is also evidence of inherent abuse of power through political associates who at some stage vowed to pay with their own lives for the liberation of South Africa. But when political freedom has been achieved, the political game changes instantly, allowing greed and "stomach politics" to take precedence in the altar of political expediency and power. The real power is economics and without this power being distrubuted evenly, the poor will run amok with impunity to take from the rich and give it to the poor.

Brayten Bretenbach once said "Only the poor can break the shackles of exploitation and depency, power makes stupid". In essence, the author is relevant for posing such question in the midst of economic downturn and the pace to which the plight of unemployment and crime is being tackled. We should set our goals and interests very clearly and back them with viable social and economic policies to ensure that these questions are being addressed before the situation becomes unimaginable. Indeed, we know that the rich middle class (9,3 million black diamonds)as the author reflected, have accrued massive political gains that have influenced the balance of forces to tilt into their favour while the rest of us are being neglected and left to scavenge for survival on daily basis. There is also evidence of inherent abuse of power through political associates who at some stage vowed to pay with their own lives for the liberation of South Africa. But when political freedom has been achieved, the political game changes instantly, allowing greed and "stomach politics" to take precedence in the altar of political expediency and power. The real power is economics and without this power being distrubuted evenly, the poor will run amok with impunity to take from the rich and give it to the poor.

Well done. "We must find the courage to overcome. Inaction is a weapon of mass destruction." - Faithless.

The West should repay Africa all it has stolen from Africa as well as compensation for slavery. That would bankrupt the West. Oh no, hang on. The rich of the West have already bankrupted the fool citizens who believe their lies. Africa must unilaterally cancel all debt to these thieves and nationalise all Western businesses, mines, farms, etc.that were instituted by theft, murder and the barrel of a gun. Africa is owed BIG TIME by the corrupting West, as Walter Rodney taught us. Perhaps that is why his book, HOW EUROPE UNDERDEVELOPED AFRICA is curiously unobtainable through the British library service !!! If you want to see greed, arrogance and corruption, look no further than hypocrite, war criminal, sower of divisions, colonialist, imperialist Britain. With the BRIC countries rising, Britain is now an obnoxious irrelevance. Not that the pompous, brainwashed fools of the British Isles would agree with that self-evident truth. They're too arrogant ! And it seems they control what views are read in this publication.

This is the best article I have read from the Mail & Guardian to date, because it touches on something very close to my heart, and that is the fear of the future. This morbid fear is brought on by the thought of the day that the masses decide that they have been duped all along, that there’s nothing in the system for them but misery, therefore the only option is to bring down the system and everything, including all the people that represent its success. You see, I’m not a scholar but I am great observer of people. People, ..eish, people are one incitement away from tearing down the place. They are just angry. Angry about the past, present and for what’s in store for them. Angry about their impotence at changing the situation and frustrations of not achieving.
When I think about how it must feel for a man who has a family he needs to feed but just cannot, to top that, he sees daily people prospering, people trading, people eating out..that must take a lot of patience and a lot out of a desperate somebody. Now, multiply that same mentality of that man by a few millions and you do not need to be a messenger of doom to realise that there is lethal stew brewing in the hearts of many people and unless that fire is quenched, nobody will be exempt when the explosion happens. @Patrick Madden, you are absolutely right in your comment, determining who is to blame for the state that we find ourselves in, will not bear any fruits. I do not understand any person who can be so righteous as to place blame of the misery of this country, squarely on the shoulders of the poor. The funny thing is that, in all honesty, the people who have, owe a great deal to those that do not have. I do not have the solution for this misfortune we find ourselves in either but that we need to be benevolent towards the poor, be just in our dealings, be eager to be service for the embetterment of fellow man, also, realise that everything we enjoy is inadvertently through another person.
Thandanani Umlaw

When a cold and hot body are placed together, a temperature gradient soon arises and eventually the two bodies settle to a common temperature. Whether one thinks the poor citizens have to blame for their sorry situation, it does not change anything as the bottom line is that time will come when the rich and the poor will interface to deal with the reality on ground. On the other hand how/why did the rich accumulate the wealth using the poor but at their (poor) exclussion. The poor and rich are both within the same boundary and sooner or later a wealth gradient will arise forcing the two to share wealth. This is in accordance with the rule of thermodynamics

Very good article

I disagree with some of your analysis but you have started the dialogue and dialogue will ultimately save our failed nation.

We all need to talk so that we understand the implication of our votes. People must understand the effects on their lives caused by a corrupt and inept government and greedy political figures. They must make informed political decisions.

To do this, we need a free media. Remember that the vast majority of our people do not have access to the print media because they can’t afford a newspaper or are functionally illiterate. The only media they see or hear is the ANC controlled SABC and pro-ANC eTV. All media wannabees should have access to the masses and let the masses decide what’s right and what isn’t. (the masses may be poor but they’re not stupid)

On the other hand, we can opt for a controlled media and stable government as North Korea, Myanmar and Zimbabwe have done. These countries have had the same leaders for 40 to 50 years. The price of this political stability is too great, the starvation and suffering is too high a price…

Successful governments like South Korea, Thailand and Zambia change governments often. I believe this is an important part of a country’s success at uplifting the poor and only an unfettered media can achieve this.

“Evil flourished when good men do nothing” – Anon

Viva Bishop Tutu, Viva. We salute your dialogue and outspoken conscience.

Excellant speech.

Some methods of doing something-
Think globally, act locally.
Participate in your neighborhood before thinking that a security estate will solve all your problems.
Encourage and be encouraged by mixed class/race neighborhoods. Walk rather than drive, this increases observation and the opportunity to say hello to one another.
Demand good service but pay a fair price to black artisans.

The key is to participate between social/class spheres.

Thank you

However, as someone from the private sector, has anyone tried to impliment a corporate social investment into the public sector and demand some kind of governance in return so as to ascertain what return one may expect for such an investment. The public sector does not know what they want or how to behave when the private sector offers help.

The situation is embedded in public self motivation and zero altruism.

'The West should repay Africa all it has stolen from Africa as well as compensation for slavery' Shame Terry E. Typical white South African view - don't blame yourselves for the mess you find yourselves - blame it on events that took place 100's of years ago!!
An excellent article pointing out that the only way is to work together, build up a strong middle/working class for the betterment of all - that is what happenned in GB & Europe - it took time as it will in SA - good luck

Fantastic article, well done. I think this applies to most of the world, not just south africa. My only criticism being is that there is also a need for the poor to show some accountability for their actions. The poor must uplift themselves through making their leaders accountable just as the privileged must work towards using their capital less selfishly. Rich does not equal intelligent and vice versa.

I found the speech thought provoking and to me it makes a lot of sense. A siege mentality and short term goals reveal just how shaky people consider their position, wealth equates to security. The government has some role to play here - both the insecure middle classes and the poor shack dweller are uncomfortable. I have always been meaning to read a book titled 'The Impact of Inequality: How to Make Sick Societies Healthier by Richard G Wilkinson' a review stated that in societies, homicide rates track the counties level of inequality, not it's overall wealth. I would welcome more of this type of debate in the M&G. Very pertinent to today, thanks.

Poor people have a responsibility to make right choices to uplift themselves, we cannot always blame the past or present when we as individual we keep making negative choices, who do you blame in this lifetime when teenagers choose to drop out of school, and when an unemployed woman keeps making babies with an unemployement man, whatever good information one needs is available at our community centres, maybe the rural areas are still lacking behind but the information is there for anyone living in the urban areas and townships.

It's all well and good to call on the people to do something, but it is not unreasonable to ask that anyone making such calls consider the situation. The corruption, cronyism and general ineptitude and inefficiency that has led to the election of a populist president who has no position on anything was accelerated under the watchful eye of a non-populist president. We are not and have not been allowed to criticise. Such criticism and demands for accountability and improvement, for those in charge to do the job they said they wanted to and would do, are met with jeers and insults. I would be willing to give more of my money toward public services if I had any hope that the money would ever reach its intended target, but I know that most of it will not. The majority have demonstrated that they will not cry out against the injustices because they're now perpetrated by their allies rather than their enemies. The voice of the majority drowns out the voice of the minority until the minority goes quiet and agrees to let the majority sink as far as they will, turning to the private sector as a sign of refusal just to go down with the ship. To some extent the move to use of private sector services is still that minority making a noise - we're voting with our feet, making known our position on an ongoing basis. We know that risking our lives in the public health system will not magically make it work, for example. The government's response is not to fix what is broken, but to wave a stick and say they will beat us into submission and force us to use the broken system, paying both for ourselves and those who don't have money. We can see that the government does hear us. And we can see that they don't care, blinded as they are by useless ideologies that have been shown to destroy rather than create and by their greed for power leading to their job becoming re-election rather than what they were elected to do. I don't think that any of us are labouring under the illusion that the poor are powerless, we're simply not standing up so that we can be shot by their allies along with them.