Zimbabwe’s Impatient Struggle For President Is Without Virtue

Things are not all, as they seem in Zimbabwe today. As everywhere else in the world, five minutes in politics is long, so too it seems in Zimbabwe.

 

An ambitious and impatient rush to take over State House seems to have been ignited after President Robert Mugabe’s visit to Beijing. Informed sources reported that China’s President Xi Jinping tried to establish from his Zimbabwean counterpart, who his successor would be.

 

According to reliable sources in Harare, it seemed that the Chinese head-of-state could not accept a West-leaning successor in Zimbabwe. That means that a pro-West First Vice President to the incumbent could alienate Zimbabwe from China at a critical time, when Zimbabwe needs serious foreign capital injections. It seemed then that the longevity of the pro-Western First Vice President had come to an end.

 

But, the music was not over until the fat lady had sung. A senior ZANU-PF member pointed out to this writer under the condition of anonymity, “A new obstacle was set up. It is the “Generation 40”, or “G40”. Senior ZANU-PF stalwart Prof. Jonathan Moyo coined that term. Moyo argued, neither government, nor the ruling party, ZANU-PF, can continue with the principle that only those, who went to war for Zimbabwe’s independence from colonial occupation will rule.”

 

To expect that only those, who went to war for the freedom of Zimbabwe, are the ones to be considered for the presidency is undemocratic.

 

Today, the numbers of Zimbabwe’s majority are eighteen and above and thus, could not have gone to war. They are too young. The war ended in 1979/80, some 35 years ago. Point is, for someone to say that only war veterans should be able to participate to rule Zimbabwe, will set Zimbabwe back by thirty years and would therefore, be anti-Zimbabwe.

 

In other words, the current noisemakers in Zimbabwe should contest in the forthcoming elections. It is simple, if people are disgruntled, they can correct it at the ballot box.

 

“It was when First Vice President Emerson Mnangagwa and his faction in ZANU-PF believed that the road to State House had finally been cleared, Professor Jonathan Moyo, Minister of Higher Education; Saviour Kasukuwere, Minister of Local Government and President Mugabe’s nephew, Patrick Zhuwawo, Minister of Empowerment, teamed up against this new group.”

 

One local observer in Harare explained, “There is a certain reasoning among senior ZANU-PF leaders and politburo members that Jonathan Moyo cannot be trusted, as he could destroy ZANU-PF from within. It could be viewed as a response to the Gukurahundi bush war of the early 1980s.”

 

An additional point was raised, “Professor Moyo was fired from cabinet and the ruling party in 2004, because he led a faction then, propping up Emerson Mnangagwa for the presidency. Moyo was not happy that Mnangagwa did not defend him, when he was booted out of the ruling party.”

 

Professor Moyo’s anti-Mugabe move at Tsholotso is public knowledge and is of the past. Not everyone in ZANU-PF is an angel. But, it is in the past and the past is no secret.

 

Meanwhile, a notion that the First Vice President and acting Minister of Justice, Emerson Mnangagwa, fronts for foreign British interests seems new. Why would Mnangagwa announce, he has protected white farmers against land-indigenization?

 

Would there be any influence from outside? It was mentioned, it would indeed be difficult to run with Joyce Mujuru, as she needs a lot of weight in her newly formed political party to be able to make an impact. There is no love lost between Mujuru and Mnangagwa. In her own words to ‘The Standard’, “I have no advice that I would give him.”

 

Interesting analytical scenarios have come out since last Saturday, February 13, 2016, after First Lady Grace Mugabe’s exposure of Emerson Mnangagwa. According to those scenarios, the President has chosen his successor – Emerson Mnangagwa. Those working against Mnangagwa allegedly are however, not aware of it. On the other hand, it is believed that the G40 have now gained the upper hand with the support of the First Lady, Grace Mugabe and ultimately, with that of the president.

 

It is confidently expressed, “Once the aforementioned has been solved and settled, there will be no room for further factionalism.”

 

Observing the unfolding of the public spats, it seems that all the aforementioned are shadow boxing, as one of the respected elder politicians observed, “Those we see are not the protagonists. They are fighting for someone else.”

 

To talk about a so-called regime change, is absurd. If one can confidently state that the First Lady is attacking President Mugabe, than that would be a “regime change”. However, she lives in the same residence and travels in the same car with the president. Grace Mugabe talks to her husband, hears and sees what he needs and wants. They are not quarrelling. How could anyone claim this public fight between Mnangagwa and the G40 is a “regime change”?”

 

In other words, it could be someone else, but the president’s wife. If there is a conspiracy for a coup, it too is not a “regime change”. This is nonsensical. If there is a serious fight between the G40 and Mnangagwa’s group, a “regime change” could make sense. But to say, a “regime change” means that there is only one group fighting for it is nonsensical. The G40 is in power and therefore, no part of any “regime change”.

 

As the old guard has done its bid on literally all levels – including in education, indigenization, gender politics, equal rights – the most important question is now, who is the best person to lead Zimbabwe into the future to enhance the requirements of their country? The answer should include the person who would lead Zimbabwe into the future. The argument of who leads whichever faction is indeed immaterial.

 

 

My twitter handle: @theotherafrika

 

Corporate Racism A Real Threat To South Africa And Southern African Development Community’s Security

South Africa’s senior government circles seem seriously worried of social and political attrition after the recent collapse of the Rand currency.

 

Investigative writer, Barry Sergeant documented in his book, “The Assault On The Rand – Kevin Wakeford And The Battle To Safe A Currency”, that the collapse of the Rand in 2001/2 was described then as “a financial crisis of epic proportions”.”

 

A senior and reliable source from within the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) points out, “The 2002 story of the collapse of the Rand currency is being repeated all over again in 2015 and 2016.”

 

“The very same corporate interests and Rand hedged stocks are in the process of implementing a strategy that will cause a collapse in the value of the Rand. In doing so, those treasonous collusions will boost the myopic and opportunistically narrow business interests, while the rest of the region’s citizenry witness their little wealth and disposable income erode beyond recognition,” a senior stockbroker and economic advisor explained under the condition of anonymity.

 

It directly affects the currencies of Namibia, Lesotho, and Swaziland.

 

British ‘Barclays Bank Africa Plc’ and its South African banking subsidiary, ‘Amalgamated Banks of South Africa’ (ABSA) with Maria Ramos at the helm, wife of former minister of finance, Trevor Manuel, and the US banker, ‘Goldman Sachs’ headed by Colin Coleman, stand accused of undermining South Africa’s currency value, having contributed to the sharp fall of the Rand.

 

Meanwhile, banks, the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE), certain ANC members, the media and academics blame president Jacob Zuma for the fall of the Rand. The ANC Youth League countered, accusing the British Barclays Bank Africa Plc and the US Goldman Sachs of collusion to collapse South Africa’s sovereign currency.

 

ANC Youth League spokesperson, Mlondi Mkhize stated at a media conference, “South Africa has become a target of the anti-BRICS countries. British Barclays Bank Plc is shrewd in keeping attention from itself.”

 

The massive outflow of capital assisted the fall of the Rand. This is not always determined by normal trade developments, but caused by conscious decisions made by influential financiers, driven by a racist approach to the economy, also known as Afropessimism. It finally resulted in grand apartheid’s structured poverty.

 

Young Caucasian males have a racist, anti-Africa view in the world of finance. With the slightest ripple from Africa, they hedge against the Rand, meaning, selling the Rand. US-Goldman Sachs and British Barclays Bank Africa Plc instigated a “herd mentality” against the Rand, hedging and selling the currency.

 

The same globalist bankers reasoned in 2001 that it was Zimbabwe’s president Robert Mugabe and his ruling party ZANU-PF’s “land grab”, which caused the Rand to fall.

 

But, even before Zimbabwe’s land issue had taken off, the Rand was knocked. Interestingly, the ‘Rand Commission of Inquiry’ into the fall of the Rand caused the currency to bounce back from R13.85 per US$1 to R5.50 per US$1 and that before Zimbabwe’s land issue was in full swing.

 

In a globalist new economic world order context, South Africa’s president Jacob Zuma sacked his former minister of finance, Nene, and appointed the unknown Van Rooyen. But, that appointment lasted only four days. Former finance minister Pravin Gordhan was re-appointed as minister of finance.

 

This incident showed that the president listens to his senior party officials and makes the necessary changes. It should be viewed as “democracy-at-work”. However, rightwing Afropessimistic elements intensified the war-of-attrition against Zuma.

 

This could have serious implications not only for South Africa, but also for sub-Saharan Africa. A scenario of a so-called “perfect storm” is being created. Food rights are being undermined.

 

The ‘Rand Commission’ of 2002 should be reinstituted to give its former members, Gunshaw and Myburgh, the opportunity to rebuild their tarnished reputation, as they suffered much embarrassment by simply not doing their investigative work decently.

 

Not a single arrest was made. It is Gunshaw and Myburgh’s shoddy work that stands to be blamed for the continuation of the delinquent behavior within the market with impunity.

 

South Africa desperately needs to institute market scrutiny through its regulators such as the Reserve Bank as regulator of the country’s currency; the Financial Services Board, commonly known as FSB, which works on a voluntary basis with laws that give it teeth. Then there are the Commercial Crimes Unit and the Intelligence Unit of SARS. All of them have the powers to assist monitoring and correcting the current devaluation of the Rand.

 

In 2002 a rightwing element mobilized for a coup against the ANC-led government. They were caught in time. Many of them still serve their jail sentence for treason.

 

Senior economic observers and a retired general of the SANDF, who spoke under the condition of anonymity explain, “This time around, South Africans are made to suffer again from a dangerous deception. The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) are led by a “commander-in-chief”, Julius Malema, wearing red berets, military attire, masquerading as “freedom fighters”, fighting a “revolution”, mobilising against government and its structures.”

 

“Fees must fall”, “Zuma must fall” and other such calls are advertised nationwide. The EFF did not organise the uprisings. It arrived opportunistically when those mass marches started and recruited students and youth also outside these organisations. South Africa can’t afford lawlessness.”

 

The above-mentioned would seem like the “preparations for a perfect storm, where ordinary people out of sheer hardship rise up against the scapegoat, the ANC. Certain forces use Zuma’s bad sentiment against him and harness the angry and poor in a drive to unleash national destabilisation. It seems that conditions would be rife for a counter-revolution.”

 

Such a development is similar to the uprisings in Nicaragua in the early to mid 1980s. The US-CIA had backed the Contras, trained them as counter-revolutionaries, having destroyed the real revolution. The Contras then took over power.

 

One of South Africa’s leading economists explained, “At the moment the Rand has lost a third of its value within a few weeks. The end-result depends on what happens to the Rand. Every single citizen is affected. It is like HIV and Aids. All goods in South Africa are US Dollar denominated. Thirty percent of the Rand value is taken off the top of the medical aid funds, insurance funds and pension funds. Everyone’s wealth is measured in US Dollars. The mentioned developments will materialize in national unrests leading to the local government elections this year in 2016. It could affect the entire continent.”

 

South Africa should seek help from its BRICS partners for protection against the attacks on its economy. BRICS know what is happening and they know what is going to happen. A friend in need is a friend indeed. The imperialist West has repeatedly and reliably shown its brutal hand of exploitation and plunder of South Africa and Africa’s resources. It is not South Africa’s friend.

 

 

Unqualified Professors?

By Busani Ngcaweni

Chris Hart has no post-matric qualification but holds a senior position at Standard Bank South Africa. He is also the most quoted “economist” at the SABC & eNCA. He has never formally studied economics beyond matric but is called “economist”.

Anton Harber is a professor and HoD at the Wits school of Journalism where he supervises post-graduate students. Harber only has a junior degree and a lousy academic publishing record. Apparently his practical  experience qualified him to hold a professorship and to serve as HoD and therefore to produce post-graduate students.

Harber, like Chris Hart never misses an opportunity to give “expert” commentary about what is wrong with South Africa and how the ANC is promoting corruption and mediocrity through “deployment of unqualified cadres”.

Well qualified and achieved black academics remain employed as junior lectures at Wits. So are highly skilled and qualified black professionals: they remain junior managers and window dressers in corporate South Africa, including at Standard Bank where there is only 1 black person in the 8 member white male Exco.

Thousands more black graduates remain unemployed because they “lack experience”.

This is the democratic dividend which reproduces white privilage. And we are expected to forgive and forget and not “think in racial terms”.

So we are basically being disrespected in our country by unqualified white people who only ascended to power through white privilage.

All indications points to one thing: rupture is inevitable. The winner of the 1994 draw can no longer hold on to the illegitimate spoils of colonialism and apartheid.

Few small but decisive intervention are worth considering.

First we must start with drawing a register of all racist companies and individuals. We must have a Roll of Shame for all Bigots in South Africa.

Second: launch an economic boycott of all products and services from companies that promote racism or employ racists who appear in the Roll of Shame. No black person and government must spend a cent in the companies that harbor racists. An economic embargo will be the most effective weapon against racists as it did during apartheid. Government (including SoEs) should vett all those doing business with it so that racists can not earn sustenance from state procurement. Use the buying power to teach racists some level of humility. In Zim and Moz they used the gun to teach whites respect. In SA we must use the economy.

Third: South African should criminalize racism so that bigots can get stiff sentances. After all, racism stunts growth as much as corruption. So let racists who promote disunity go to jail.

Fourth: transformation through such instruments as BEE and EE should be accelerated alongside the provision of high quality education especially for rural and township students. Education shouldn’t stand in the way of black students achieving their dreams and breaking the circle of poverty in their families.

Fifth: there is a need to build a massive anti racism awareness program supported by civil society so that South African children can grow up in a society which holds values that shun all forms of racism and sexism.

Sixth: there is a need to reboot relations with the black intelligentsia so that there can be intellectual leadership and innovation on matters of transformation, social cohesion and national unity. The black intelligentsia holds the key to many answers to problems confronting society hence the call for their re-engagement. The same applies to black professionals who present the greatest possibility of change given the social capital they possess.

South Africa’s Private Business Sector Unpatriotically Undermines State Sovereignty

If South Africa’s hostile private business sector indeed supports the political opposition for its own benefits, it clearly undermines democracy. If it lobbies and compromises influential politicians and senior government officials in return “assisting to draft policies that work against people and country, to the advantage of the multinational corporates, such destructive strategy actually structures poverty for particularly the indigenous African majority and destroys the middle class.”

The fuel industry is a case in point of how lobbyists function to the disadvantage of the electorate. An economist from within the fuel industry points out, “South Africa’s oil refineries are in dire need to be refurbished to produce cleaner fuels. But the oil companies do not plan to pay for it. Their exemption from the Competition Commission comes to an end in December 2015. The owners of the oil companies however, would want to extend their exemption for another ten years.”

Meanwhile, the liquid fuel industry closed its doors on the BBBEE structure and will not adhere to indigenous African South African programmes of integration. This means, that radical economic transformation will not be able to take place. Economic growth under an ANC-led government would be destroyed and the ANC would be blamed again.

“Lobbyists focus their destructive manipulations on the ministry of trade and industry (dti), as well as the respective parliamentary committee to place their draft in parliament during the quiet season at the end of 2015. This is how the oil companies will receive their extension for another ten years”, the fuel expert explained.

The department of trade and industry would then grant the aforementioned exemption.

Hostile international corporates do not produce wealth, but structured poverty. In that context, the corporate sector demonstrates its blatant disrespect for South Africa’s sovereignty. This they do with impunity to protect their wealth.

The above-mentioned evil is a crime against humanity, just as the UNO declared apartheid a crime against humanity. It is a strategy derived from colonial-apartheid oppression. The same ‘architects-of-apartheid’ structured poverty for the masses. It leaves them voiceless and creates more poverty and death. In fact, wealth concentration among the rich accelerated since the great depression. This is also known as “finance capitalism”, not “industrial capitalism”. Financial pressures from all angles on the system are huge.

In pre-election South Africa and with the able assistance of the ratings agencies, Standard & Poor (S&P), Moody’s and Fricke and the manipulation of world currencies such as the US Dollar, the Rand currency is still falling. At the end of 2015 as currency prices fluctuate on a daily basis, the Rand stands already at ZAR14.13 per US$1.

It is important for all to know and understand – to engineer the collapse of South Africa’s currency and economy is an act of high treason. This writer has been told, “A highly specialised group of concerned citizens will assist South Africa’s authorities and certain financial institutions to investigate those corporate structures, which seem to connive bringing down the economy. It needs to be seen to be corrected.”

A respected senior ANC NEC and NWC member explained under the condition of anonymity, “The target is to undermine and force the ANC to recall president Jacob Zuma, embarrass and close the ANC’s business arm, Chancellor House, to ensure that funding for future elections will be ceased.”

According to the enemies’ covert strategies, “Starving the ANC of sponsorship would inevitably lead to the ANC losing the Gauteng Province in the next elections in 2016.”

If the allegation were indeed correct that an amount of ZAR1billion has been made available to the political opposition, mainly the DA, it would mean that the business community directly meddles with South Africa’s political power balances.

The above-mentioned source asked, “Has the DA committed itself to the big corporates to win the Gauteng Province at the next elections in 2016? If this is correct and if the ANC wins the Gauteng Province in the next elections, how would the ZAR1billion affect the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE)?”

“What is the role of the “Mayfair Group” in London and its links with certain senior members of South Africa’s political landscape”, has been queried too. “A certain Nathan Kirsch is alleged to be a member of the aforementioned group. Are Zimbabwe’s John Bredenkamp, the DA’s Helen Zille and recalled Thabo Mbeki also members of that “Mayfair Group” in London,” suspicious senior ANC members demand to know.

South Africa’s private business sector has proven throughout that it plays crude power politics to its own advantage only and to the disadvantage of the electorate. Only a strong and determined hand will be able to rescue the country from marginalization of the masses, further mass-plunder of its resources and serious national destabilisation efforts.

The South African Youth Congress (SAYCO)’s Slogan Was “Freedom Or Death – Victory Is Certain”

South Africa’s ruling African National Congress has a history of resisting oppressive education. When the racist-apartheid National Party government introduced the notorious Bantu Education Act in the 1950s, the resistance against it was well documented.

The South African Students’ Organisation (SASO) at the country’s universities led by Steve Biko protested against oppressive education. This too was well reported.

The strongest of them all was the South African Youth Congress (SAYCO), an affiliate of the United Democratic Front (UDF). SAYCO was referred to as the “cutting edge of the UDF.” Over half of its affiliated membership was drawn from SAYCO. It was founded in Cape Town and brazenly resisted the Bantu education system with its slogan, “Freedom or Death – Victory is certain”.

The Soweto Students’ Representative Council (SSRC) led Soweto’s 1976 class action under its vice president, Tsitsi Mashinini. The potential support basis seemed well over two million members. Together they were integrated into the ANC Youth League in 1990. All of South Africa’s affiliated youth movements accepted the Freedom Charter.

In a nutshell, the above-mentioned reflects South Africa’s rich student politics. Given this historic background, why would the ruling ANC and the Tri-Partite Alliance not learn from its own history? What actually happened to the Freedom Charter’s chapter on education, which had the basis of engaging the principles for the youth all well laid out? It is an established guide for the historic movement.

There would be no need for South Africa’s government to build an educational system that does not seem to be able to deliver good education for all. Yet, the necessary knowledge and skills seem to have no room in the current system.

South Africa’s educational programme should not be consulted with Australia, when it has one of the world’s best educational systems right next door, in Zimbabwe. Had president Robert Mugabe not put an educational system in place for the whole nation to benefit from the onset, it would not have survived the illegal and vicious British/US imposed punishing economic sanctions.

Another example of educational success is Germany’s outcome-based educational structures. Those assisted the country’s economic and financial growth. Germany became the fourth largest economy in the world.

South Africa’s authorities would do well by establishing a national debate on education to build an agenda for all to benefit from.

Is South Africa still suffering from the colonial-apartheid destabilisation? Immediately after the 1976 Soweto Youth uprisings, the apartheid security forces particularly targeted the youth without any history in the organisations, paid them off and used them to unsettle the movement. Special security branches organised junior members of the UDF against their leaders, trying to infiltrate them. It was called then the “kabala formation”, which eventually took over many parts of the UDF. This is how spies and sell-outs undermined the revolutionary movements. It served the security forces, as elements could infiltrate marches to disorganize and eventually disintegrate them.

Then came the “talks about talks”, with a negotiated settlement outcome that led to the 1994 elections. Whatever the negotiating parties’ leadership agreed on that led to the 1994 elections, could not address the national problems of the millions of South Africans.

Is it possible to bring about necessary changes that will meet the demands of the majority?

The recent student protests and the foregoing union strikes had been planned long ago to undermine the ANC’s revolution. Those plans were not made in good faith. The foreign influence of the West was covertly infiltrated to destroy the ruling ANC from within, assisted by certain of its leaders.

It eventually took over the real revolution, undermining and discrediting the ANC. Money and greed for more of it, stunted growth and commitment to the revolution, as money played an ever growing part and no space to defend the revolution any longer.

Well-funded and networked think tanks planned almost all scenarios in advance.

Meanwhile, the noble Freedom Charter is clear and on record. It covers everything. The respected Freedom Charter states; “Education shall be free, compulsory, universal and equal for all children”.

However, it seems that recalled Thabo Mbeki’s ‘GEAR’ and the subsequent ‘National Development Plan (NDP)’ replaced the Freedom Charter.

Foreign lobbies and their cunning ways to mislead and compromise played an increased role unsettling the ANC. People now do things that are not in line with their own revolution.

The recent national student revolt has a positive side to it too. The different political parties could identify youth leaders and possibly recruit them. Civil disobedience is important and needed to test society. The student revolt for a 0% increase of student fees for 2016 should not be escalated to anarchy.

Student fees remain the same as in 2015. The universities remain private, profit driven institutions. Unpopular vice chancellors will retain their jobs and students still buckle under huge debt, also known as “black debt”. There is no change to also bring those fees down. In fact, nothing has much changed. The status quo remains. For the time being students celebrate the small change they were able to make from their latest protest. It too is part of scenario planning.

This student revolt went relatively peaceful, despite infiltration by a number of agents’ provocateurs to turn it into a violent demonstration. The aim remains – to undermine government and the ruling party.

Since the Marikana uprising in South Africa’s platinum belt, there is no rest in their attempts to force an “Arab Spring”, followed by a so-called “regime change” to turn South Africa’s economy into a dustbowl. South Africa’s ZAR currency value would collapse and possibly spiral to ZAR25 per US$1.

Time has run out and charge has to be taken to avoid above-mentioned destabilisation scenario.

Yes, The US Government Really Is Bankrupt

Yes, The US Government Really Is Bankrupt

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 10/18/2015 20:

I’ve long-stated that the government of the United States is completely insolvent.

And that is 100% true statement.

The government’s own numbers show that official liabilities, including debt held by the public and federal retirement benefits, total $20.7 trillion.

Yet the government’s assets, including the value of the entire federal highway system, the national parks, cash balances, etc. totals just over $3 trillion.

In total, their ‘net worth’ is NEGATIVE $17.7 TRILLION… a level that completely dwarfs the housing crisis.

If you include the government’s own estimates of the Social Security shortfall, this number declines to NEGATIVE $60 TRILLION.

And it gets worse every year.

Now, is this balance sheet an accurate reflection of reality? Do we really trust the bean counters to tell us what the United States of America is really worth?

Surely there must be significant intrinsic value to the United States military, for example.

Or the US government’s ability to collect taxes.

Or what about the value of all the natural resources underground?

These must all be HUGELY positive and would swing the government’s net worth back in the right direction.

Guess again.

The US military is certainly one of the best-trained and most effective forces in history.

But it’s difficult to place a substantial value on it when the government can no longer afford to use it.

And even when they do use it, the overall cost of doing so is negative.

The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have cost the taxpayers $4 trillion. But where’s the financial benefit?

Aside from a few defense contractors profiting handsomely, the Chinese got most of the oil.

ISIS ended up with much of Iraq. And Iran made out like a bandit, with the US government taking out its most threatening neighbors free of charge.

Mission accomplished.

Bottom line, even the best asset in the world can end up being a big liability if it’s used improperly.

So what about the tax authority of the US government? If Uncle Sam can collect $3 trillion in tax revenue each year, surely that must count as a huge asset.

And it absolutely is. If you conduct a Present Value calculation of the future tax revenue of the US government discounted by the official 2% rate of inflation, the US government’s ability to tax its citizens is ‘worth’ $150 TRILLION.

But… if you’re going to count the government’s tax authority as an asset, you have to be intellectually honest and consider the expenses as liabilities.

Think about it: yes, the government brings in tax revenue every single year. But for nearly every year over the last seventy years, they’ve spent far more money to deliver on the promises they’ve made to their citizens.

Those promises are liabilities. And given the government’s spending history since the end of World War II, the liabilities far exceed the tax authority asset.

More importantly, though, isn’t it a little bit scary to consider that the government’s #1 asset is its ability to steal money from you?

Or that the only way the government can make its liabilities go away is by defaulting on the promises it has made to its citizens?

That’s their only way out: steal from you, and default on you.

Beware Of Arrogance – It Plays Into The Hands Of The Counter-Revolutionaries And Agent Provocateurs

Under the cloak of democracy “majority rule and minority protection” were part of the bruising CODESA negotiations of 1992 to 1994.

As repeatedly cautioned, the secret “Sunset Clauses”, the “Demarcation Board” and the resulting “proportional representation” have denied the voting public their real democracy in the form of “one person, one vote elections in a constituent assembly”. But, this system will not be changed until those in power will have lost their power.

As a number of senior ANC NEC and NWC members explained bluntly, the above-mentioned, more “particularly ‘proportional representation’ and that ‘Demarcation Board’, could at best be described as a most serious ‘electoral fraud’. It has led to corruption, factionalism, polarization, anarchy and destabilisation, whittling the ANC’s voter-base down.”

An elite stands accused of arrogance. And, arrogance always comes before the fall.

Against the above background, South Africa’s African National Congress (ANC) rules at the behest of the minorities. The minorities have entered into an alliance with the majority to form a South African-style “democracy”.

Should the minorities believe that they are disrespected, they could intensify tension between the majority and the minorities.

In South Africa’s case the minorities are made up of a host of miniscule political parties, civil society, capital and judiciary, all of them hostile to black majority rule, even when they use black South Africans for their credibility. These minorities would translate disrespect as arrogant. If this would be the case, “They would translate it as the majority misleading the nation”.

It would therefore, be important to build a strong middle ground, made up of the ruling ANC, the opposition DA, business and civil society. To ignore this development in the case of South Africa, further engaging in looting of private citizens’- and public funds, of taking land and other assets through over-taxation, land-grabs of any nature, would lead the country onto dangerous ground.

2015 is a far cry from the times of the so-called “Cold War” and the struggle against colonial-apartheid oppression. A well-funded opposition, civil society and capital, that cuts across the entire political-, academic- and judicial spectrum, would take up the challenge.

Agent provocateurs would be deployed to destabilise the country. The ‘counter-revolutionary forces’ today are not what they were forty years ago. Today, they are organised and occupy strategic key positions across the private and public sectors.

The ‘counter-revolutionary forces’ would, most likely, not shy away from shutting South Africa and possibly the entire SADC region down for some ninety days and longer by destroying the country’s fiber optics.

The electronic and other supportive structures such as for example, wifi, mobile phone networks, telecoms, bank cards, ATMs, supermarket- and other tills, petrol pumps, banking- and retail industries, traffic- and air traffic control would grind to a halt. Water, electricity and cash would run out, as people would not be prepared for such all-affecting destructive collusion. It would be a tool to intimidate and eventually rule with fear.

As it stands, the ANC-led government is facing an undermining front with hostilities from within and outside which include media, academia, established capital and judiciary. It showed its united, hostile hand at the time of the African Union (AU) summit in Sandton, Johannesburg, when Sudan’s head-of-state, Omar Al-Bashir, showed up.

The Southern African Litigation Center (SALC) with the support of South Africa’s judiciary opportunistically litigated against Al-Bashir, to have him handed over to the racist “International Crimes Court (ICC)” in The Hague, the Netherlands, Europe.

Together, the corporate media cartel, the mafia-apartheid judiciary and the political opposition misled the public in its attempt to embarrass South Africa’s majority-led government. Their cunning approach however, did not bear fruit, despite trying to hide behind the rule-of-law and the constitution.

Government refused to declare war on Sudan by disrespecting international law, deliberately ignoring Sudan’s sovereignty and delivering Al-Bashir to the ICC. At the same time, they tried to weaken government’s credibility nationally and globally.

The “Southern African Litigation Center (SALC)” is heavily sponsored by one of the architects of Ukraine’s war-of-destabilisation against Moscow to force a Western favored “regime change”. He is George Soros and his “Open Society Foundation”. Another player is the US-Ford Foundation. There are others. The SALC has access to huge funds.

The media reported that a certain wealthy Israeli, Nathan Kirsch in London, sponsors political opposition in South Africa through among others, the “De Klerk Foundation” and his London-based “Mayfair Group”. The beneficiaries include the Democratic Alliance (DA), the EFF, possibly also AMCU and AGANG SA.

In addition to the above, the national electricity supplier, ESKOM’s taunting electricity cuts usually at peak times, have not been seriously investigated and dealt with appropriately. To make things worse, the traffic departments do not seem willing, or able to coordinate with the electricity supplier. Electricity cuts and traffic gridlocks have become the order of the day.

The national water suppliers have to deal with run-down and broken equipment. Subsequent poisonous water and water cuts seem to raise their ugly heads.

In fact, all parastatals seem to have been rendered dysfunctional. South Africa seems faced with economic terrorism in a drive to privatize all parastatals for a song. Economic growth seems to dwindle fast.

It also remains unclear who really benefits from the imposition of e-tolls in the Gauteng Province. Interestingly, the company rolling out e-tolls is not South African. The profits leave South Africa for Austria. Who really benefits?

With fifteen million South Africans living below the poverty line and over 26% of the country’s youth being unemployed, racial inequalities persist. So does the slave wage. This is worrisome.

Who would benefit from such ‘dustbowl tactics’ and subsequent trials and tribulations affecting all living in South Africa?

A respected senior source in the ANC’s NEC told this writer on condition of anonymity, “The ANC has raised matters of e-tolls, race-based economic inequalities, the remaining slave wages and the high youth unemployment within the branches and took them up to its national levels. Many cadres are concerned about the impact those developments will have on the ANC voters’ base.”

End.

My twitter handle: @theotherafrika

The Onslaught On South Africa’s Ruling African National Congress Intensified

“The ANC of 1990 does not exist anymore. It’s a political party just like any other,” say many of its old cadres from both, inside and outside South Africa.

Today’s leadership of the African National Congress stands accused by its Secretary General Gwede Mantashe as taking “dirty money, killing the ANC”. According to the national daily newspaper, ‘The Sowetan’, Mantashe compiled a secret document saying, he was concerned that “incompetent business owners buy their way to state tenders”.

Since 1994 the elected ANC has accepted the current “proportional representation”. A well-known, senior member of the ANC NEC and NWC, who spoke to this writer under condition of anonymity, said: “Had the ANC followed the ‘Freedom Charter’ and the expectations of its electorate, it would have accepted nothing less than a ‘one-person-one-vote electoral process in a constituent assembly’.

“But, the secret “Sunset Clauses”, negotiated between apartheid-De Klerk and the SACP’s Joe Slovo saw to it that ‘one-person-one-vote in a constituent assembly’ would not happen. Apartheid was legalized.”

The secret “Sunset Clauses” further weakened the ANC when the former Bantustans were transformed into Provinces. To date, the provincial administrative structures absorb about 55% of the annual national budget.

“Comrade president Nelson Mandela and his deputy, Thabo Mbeki, never considered the structural problems inside the ANC. This had made it easy for recalled Mbeki to collapse the ANC branches and centralise power in the presidency of the ANC.”

He further explains, “All the above-mentioned have paved the way for corporates, mining companies, banks, financial institutions, retailers and many more with interests in South Africa to sneak their lobby groups and hidden agendas in. Their influence on the ANC’s leadership is powerful. Many leaders were compromised. Corporates took power.”

In the above-mentioned context, the senior ANC NEC and NWC member expressed his concern; “South Africa is in clear and present danger today.”

Today, Glencor-Exxaro controls 40% of all coal supplies to ESCOM and 50% of coal exports from South Africa. The other major coal miners are ‘BHP Billiton Coal’ and ‘Anglo Coal’.

If the lights are switched off, the power utility will be killed and the economy destroyed. The one who controls power and water, controls the country. Who benefits from such “economic terrorism”? According to “power economics”, why would anyone pay ZAR40billion for a mere 1 900 megawatt? Yet, it does not show how much energy actually is in it for so many megawatt hours. What is really going on at Eskom? Who builds a war chest with those huge profits from diesel for Eskom? Who is behind all the cover-ups making serious profits?

In the recent worldwide development of corporates taking over governments, seriously funded corporate lobbies wield extraordinary influence. They cozy up to leadership in their hidden efforts to isolate them from their powerbase, which is the majority of the electorate.

In addition to above, the emotional land issue would have to be addressed soon too to avoid further political and socio-economic ruptures and opportunistic destabilisation.

Eskom’s taunting of the nation of South Africa, the upcoming land issue and the continuous price hikes, have put the majority of the population under siege.

Meanwhile, the political opposition and more so its funders; the academia; the mafia-apartheid judiciary and the corporate media cartel ganged up against ANC- and country president Jacob Zuma. Those forces will also agitate from within the movement hoping to force the forthcoming ANC’s NGC in October this year 2015 to be turned into an elective conference.

Their not so hidden drive is to have president Zuma recalled, similar to the fall from grace of his predecessor, Thabo Mbeki. It is their choice to bring in deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa as head-of-state and secretary general Gwede Mantashe as his hopeful deputy. Their hopeful success however, will not materialize yet. “The ANC’s branches would not stand for such.”

South Africa is a member of BRICS. But, the owners of its economy, the “former” architects-of-apartheid reject BRICS. The broad electorate, the poor majority however, is in favour of BRICS.

Will those corporates get their way by putting their ambitious “business mogul and billionaire”, Patrice Motsepe, into the ANC’s top six by 2017 as Treasurer General (TS)?

It seems known among the ANC’s leadership that the outsider, Motsepe, desperately wants to be South Africa’s president in 2022. This seems unacceptable to the majority, as his history and background are unknown. Motsepe only became an ANC member in the 1990s.

The well-established owners of ‘Teal Mining Company’, an offspring of the old ‘Anglo Vaal’ group, met with young rural attorney and socialite Patrice Motsepe and created for him ‘African Rainbow Minerals’ (ARM) as a BBBEE partner. Motsepe was made a “celebrity share billionaire”; at the same time a buffer between white capital and black African majority.

Motsepe receives much media exposure and acts as benevolent sponsor, co-owns a football team, always appearing at any and every ANC event, seated among leadership. Almost all senior members of the ANC NEC openly reject that. Who continuous to attempt giving him that weight?

At the same time, the media reports that the ANC and government leadership are corrupt. The corporate media cartel affords Motsepe the platform he revels in. The consuming public is conscientised that “the country needs a wealthy head-of-state who is not corrupt”.

Foreign interest groups argue that South Africa’s president could only be an African with direct assistance from outside. Africans who do it by themselves are destroyed. In fact, their principled and historic positions are being undermined. That includes their ideology; anti-apartheid struggle credentials therefore, a solid position in the country’s history.

Without any of above-given background, is Patrice Motsepe the good face of imperialist neo-liberal, capitalist-democracy? Motsepe too would have to dance to the piper’s tune.

The long-term plan for the ANC’s future includes rendering the movement dysfunctional and democratic. The above-mentioned senior ANC NEC and NWC stalwart fears that “Branch members at future conferences would be paid to be controlled.”

It is a destructive strategy, which would particularly affect the indigenous black South African majority. They would be the losers, be made voiceless and redundant. Structured poverty is as much a crime against humanity as colonial-apartheid was.

The real problem is that when government is in the grip of corporates, it is not a welfare state, which keeps the economy in debt. It is a centrally planned economy that needs land reform, financial and real estate sectors reducing the rest of the economy to rent payers and debtors. We live in the age of “neo-feudalism”.

My twitter handle: @theotherafrika

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Emotive ‘Land Issue’ Will Ignite Southern Africa’s Arab Spring And Lead To Dustbowl Economy

Uninformed, opportunistic buffoons, not understanding realities, seem to push hard for anarchy and lawlessness in their drive to undermine states and ruling parties. Misinterpreting the land issue, Southern African countries would be turned into a dustbowl like Ukraine, Iraq, Libya, Yemen and the Middle East.

Foreign US/Israeli/UK/EU interests seem to have it easy in their efforts to destroy the Middle East. They simply exported “democracy” to the North African and Middle East Arab countries. NATO’s targeted “humanitarian bombing” of Libya, igniting “rebel wars”, supplying “rebels” with heavy weaponry, ammunition and military training, mobilizing the Egyptians on Tariq Square in Cairo, are cases in point of “democracy come anarchy”.

“Democracy” is the useful tool. By now, the Ukraine and the Middle East are done with. Syria and Iran however, are still standing. The Saudis control Yemen. The Gulf of Aden has been shut down and adjacent countries are suffocated.

The above demonstrates that what the capitalist West does not control is exposed to viciously destructive chaos and reduced to a dustbowl. This is a strategic holocaust to achieve and retain total control over global currencies, resource- and financial markets.

Now seems the opportune time to move the same ‘forces of destabilisation’ down south targeting southern Africa. Foreign interests’ planned agenda is to destabilise Southern Africa by raising the emotive land issue.

South Africa’s democracy was achieved through a lengthy liberation struggle. Today, the African National Congress talks and lives democracy. South Africa is seen as one of the best democratic states.

For example, former ANC-caretaker-president and trade unionist, Kgalema Motlanthe, recently went as far as praising former apartheid-president De Klerk, for having “freed the ANC and its alliance partners”. Motlanthe even suggested that “apartheid-De Klerk should be honoured with South Africa’s highest order”. However, Motlanthe’s laudation was factually and historically flawed. Yet, no one stood up to correct him.

In above context, no one knows, nor understands South Africa’s democracy.

Political parties opposing the ANC and Namibia’s SWAPO Party talk ‘land’ in their attempt to contribute to national and regional destabilisation. Misguided idiots, misleading the unemployed and poverty-stricken masses with their regurgitations that sound real and good, head those same opposition parties. What they do not understand is, they were given a template to destroy their countries in this region.

The same old imperialists and architects-of-apartheid set the agenda. The outcome is therefore, not the desired result. It will be a toxic anarchy, where rightwing forces lead the land issue, fraudulently pretending to give the opposition what they and their followers are looking for.

The hunger for land is a fiercely contested fact.

After independence in 1980 Zimbabwe was hailed as the breadbasket for the southern African region. Informal farmers produced 60% of the maize harvest. This was more than the commercial farmers could bring to the market. The commercial farmers produced tobacco, which brought capital.

Zimbabwe’s platinum belt together with South Africa’s platinum resources produce 80% of the world’s platinum. This means, together both countries control the world platinum market. Add gold, chrome, vanadium, copper, iron-ore, coal, emeralds and diamonds and you should have an immensely rich, powerful and sophisticated regional economy.

But, Zimbabwe made a fatal mistake. It accepted the World Bank’s Herbert Chidzero as Minister of Finance. President Mugabe became the darling of the international West. It dawned later on Zimbabwe’s government that Chidzero had destroyed the country’s economy by implementing the World Bank’s fraudulent “structural adjustment programme”.

Based on the Lancaster House Agreement of 1979, Zimbabwe was inevitably marginalized. Certain fundamentals of Zimbabwe’s constitution cannot be changed, as parliament needs 75% majority to change the constitution.

One example is the binding clause of “willing seller, willing buyer” which is included in the Lancaster House Agreement. This is dangerous as it leads to destabilisation.

The imperialist West played with time, or at least thought, it would settle matters their way within ten years, or so. According to their calculations all leaders in Zimbabwe would have either left office, or passed on. By then a new generation without any struggle experiences or credentials would have taken over. The resilience of Zimbabwe’s old guard was underestimated. Land redistribution was set in motion. Britain led the international West in imposing illegal sanctions against Zimbabwe. The World Bank-IMF rolled out a programme of destroying Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe was made an example of. The rest of Africa became fearful and shied away from historical land issues.

Back to South Africa. Zimbabwe’s southern neighbour has been exposed to the same template and the same strategy of marginalization through destabilisation.

First, South Africa had to accept an “economic programme”. Recalled former president Thabo Mbeki’s ‘Growth, Employment and Redistribution (GEAR)’ programme followed. It was the same “structural adjustment programme” of the World Bank-IMF.

The IMF added “land capping” as a solution to South Africa’s land issue. Again, it would not work, as no one would really know, when to “cap” commercial farmland. Farmers would shy away from investing and developing agricultural land. Food security would be risked, resulting in scorched earth and nationwide starvation.

The above-mentioned World Bank-IMF programme includes two strategies – (i) having had to do away with all agricultural boards such as for example the maize board, meat board, poultry board and many other such boards. This was already done under late former president Nelson Mandela’s watch. (ii) In order to bring about a dustbowl economy, both, agriculture and land would be destroyed through opportunistic and emotive land occupation.

A responsible government would need to protect South Africans against strategies to unsettle them through lawless efforts using land as a tool for destabilisation. All attempts to enforce an “Arab Spring” would have to be promptly dealt with.

My twitter handle: @theotherafrika

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President Mugabe, The Ruling ZANU-PF And Zimbabwe Remain Shortchanged

Zimbabwe has gone through three Chimurengas, the latest one against the breach of the 1979 Lancaster House Agreement, to finally set itself free. It is done without the assistance of former colonial occupiers. It is however, a dear price paid with blood, starvation and punitive sanctions from the world powers, being the new dictators for democracy. Following reflects what Zimbabwe, her democratically elected government and her people still have to go through. Is this part of the Third Chimurenga?

Just recently, the US government renewed sanctions against Zimbabwe. By now, it has become clear that Zimbabwe is a threat to US foreign policy. Hence, the sanctions were renewed. Zimbabwe’s government is not ashamed to stand its ground, for its rights and resources.

Britain’s Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and US’s President Jimmy Carter both had signed the 1979 Lancaster House Agreement, which formed the cornerstone of Zimbabwe’s independence.

However, when Jimmy Carter lost the following elections, his rightwing opponent, Ronald Reagan, took over as President of the United States. This also meant the end of the Lancaster House Agreement. Reagan demonstrated US race-history and double standards, where people of colour were treated as mere cattle. His narrow approach reflected that of the settler-mind towards the indigenous Zimbabweans and also of those of the leaders of the foreign funded, but ailing MDC.

The above actually applies to the whole of Africa. “There was a policy in America to depopulate the third world. They (Washington DC) made it policy”, the African-American leader, Louis Farrakhan, explained during his recent visit to Jamaica.

It is on record that London’s Lord Mayor Boris Johnson publicly blamed former British Prime Minister Tony Blair for wrecking the white farmers’ chance of staying on the land, or at least being compensated for it. Johnson decried Britain’s role, “Britain played a shameful part in the disaster (in Zimbabwe).”

Right Honorable Johnson is tipped to be the next leader of the Conservative Party, replacing David Cameron.

The foreign funded opposition party in Zimbabwe, the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) and its leaders were not a twinkle in their funders and conductors’ eyes, when the Lancaster House Agreement was signed in 1979. The MDC is on the wrong side of history. History has overtaken the mafikizolo (late comer). To force a “regime change” in a country where there is stability and the security cluster is balanced, it would be impossible to execute a “Ukraine-situation”, a “regime change”.

A respected AU observer of the developments in Zimbabwe said, “The MDC leadership is just crazy.”

Hence, the MDC is shown up in its misinterpretation of Zimbabwe’s history. Eddie Cross’s narrow understanding of Zimbabwe’s history and his misunderstanding of the three Chimurengas can be dismissed.

The MDC’s Cross also fails to put the serious problems of the 1980s, the ‘Gukurahundi’, into proper context. Admitted, there was an insurgence. The security apparatus of the apartheid regime supported the insurgence, abusing it for its own benefit. Yes, many people died. President Mugabe described it as “A moment of madness.”

The role of the dissidents should be put into context. Apartheid South Africa’s security machine supported the dissidents. As it happened then, many of the former dissidents joined Mangosutho Buthelezi’s Bantustan-Inkatha army and were trained in ground-to-ground combat and urban warfare in Namibia’s Caprivi region.

SUPASAFO had been formed to launch the insurgency to overthrow the government in Harare. During that bush war in Zimbabwe many people were unfortunately killed.

It is the mandate of the government of Zimbabwe to engage on those issues. Harare would not follow anyone in their claims to do such. Anything else would be a misrepresentation.

In 2005 the City Council of Harare put ‘Operation Murambatsvina’ in place. Illegal street traders and their structures were destroyed, as they had not been approved by the City Council. Even money laundering took place there. In that way Zimbabwe’s City Councils prevented city-based slum areas. It seems that Zimbabwe’s government understood the nature of people’s movements.

Mr. Cross writes further that schools in Zimbabwe have become care centers for children. Zimbabwe’s education is a direct consequence of economic sanctions. At the same time, the standard of education of Zimbabweans is evident in the Diaspora by the positions they hold.

Only the MDC and its paymasters do not seem to understand that.

There are two sides – the MDC’s Eddie Cross on the one hand and the greater number of Zimbabweans, the regional and the continental majority of indigenous Africans on the other.

The MDC’s problematic narrative should be clear. It should not have challenged the land reform. The MDC should not have run to Washington (US), London (UK) and Brussels (EU) to lobby for sanctions against the government and its leadership. Why does the MDC not admit to that? It is on record. The sanctions have not only put Zimbabwe under economic siege. The average citizens, including the white community suffer.

Meanwhile, the MDC did not fare well in the last elections. To say otherwise means, Eddie Cross is playing mischief. The African Union (AU), the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and a host of other election observers found Zimbabwe’s elections free, fair and credible.

A senior struggle veteran of South Africa’s ruling African National Congress referred to a reality check, stating, “Observing the performance of the MDC and its leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, during the time of the ‘government of national unity’ (GNU), who would vote for such incompetence?”

And, ‘The Standard’, March 1 – 7, 2015, its reporter Paidamoyo Muzulu writes under the headline, “MDC-T in financial dire straits”, reporting, “MDC-T secretary-general Douglas Mwonzora confirmed that the party’s financial position was bad.”

Lest we forget, the war for Africa was and remains the war for land. The colonizing settlers’ history in Africa, America, Australia and New Zealand is one of brutal occupation, of civil and tribal wars, of mass-slaughter, slavery, genocide and xenophobia, of plunder and apartheid-UDI-structured poverty. To date, Africa’s borders remain colonial borders as mapped out in Berlin in 1884/5, where whole nations had been divided into two and more countries.

End.

My twitter handle: @theotherafrika