By Neil de Beer
It can be said that we, as a nation, are as stunned as a rabbit in a hunter’s spotlight.
If we thought that Covid, the lockdowns, economic meltdown and ANC factionalism in 2021 to 2022 were the icing on the cupcake, then 2023 enters with a bang.
This year seems to be the year of just earth-shattering and mind-blowing explosions on an economic, political and social level, never seen before in our nation’s history.
I have been in and out of domestic politics for just over 35 years. Having been a member and functional supporter of the ANC since 1988, even I have now just truly looked, in stunned amazement, at now my past party and comrades, which I formally left three years ago.
The year started with one failure after another. One just has to look at daily revelations and media statements in shock.
I have previously mentioned that the KING IS NAKED, about our esteemed and very scarce president.
The continued shocking crime statistics, economic meltdown and load shedding this year have reached critical mass.
The fact these matters were shoved onto a country in itself would have been enough to break a sitting government, but to add to the fire, were the Phala Phala revelations and the huge public condemnation from the then CEO of Eskom, Andre de Ruyter.
The country, a few months ago, was still revelling in gasps of shock while sitting spell bound and glued to the tv screen, while one witness after another saw the Zondo Commission unravel the facts of state capture. After three years of inquiries, more than R1 billion in fees and volumes of evidence, well, barely NOTHING ! It then reminds of the farce trial of the Shabir Shaik and huge search for the Guptas in exile. Shabir terminal ill, still alive and kicking and yes, the Guptas arrested in Dubai, awaiting extradition, well nothing!
We then had the public spat between a ex president and a sitting one. The first mentioned actually sitting in jail, although briefly. We then hear on news channels of the “money under the mattress” and the now famous Phala Gate. This all while we have new ANC elections and huge factionalism, breaking down the ruling party even more.
Nothing, yes nothing, that comes from the state, government or party is believed by the majority of our citizens that are sane.
With level 6 load-shedding and minister of electricity appointed, the rand slipping, and investors confidence collapsed, it became so bad that our nation's Nr. 1 citizen, yes, Cyril, did not attend Davos and the annual global meetings of power.
With the ever-constant fear-mongering and threats of violence by the now recognised anarchists, the EFF, no wonder the international media and corporate international think South Africa is on the brink of total collapse.
The fact is the poor are indeed getting poorer, and the rich just leave. It was rumoured last week, by certain financial institutions they saw huge exiting of our capital.
To top it all, we are now, as a country, grey listed. We join a rather shocking esteemed group of countries, which are also grey listed and seen as the gutter of fiscal controlled nations. These include Nigeria, DRC, Haiti and South Sudan.
With huge collapses in infrastructure, joblessness, power cuts, corruption and crime, the huge question is, when do we, as a country, reach DAY ZERO?
Neil de Beer is Chairman of Investment Fund Africa and a regular African Economic commentator.
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