Troubling times in South Africa

30 killed in clashes between Police and striking miners

Amid the news overload in the UK about the Olympics and the pantomime of recent days concerning Julian Assange, a story started to emerge on UK News Channels yesterday, which is of much concern.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-19292909

Judicial Cat does not know the details of the strike; however, the news has very sad echoes of the pre-1994 South Africa and the sort of news, which those of us of a certain age remember watching nightly during the worse years of apartheid. This is a country of particular interest to your blogger, having visited no less than twelve times in the past eight years. It seems hard to imagine any sort of circumstances were this sort of Police reaction can even begin to be justified. One only has to consider the historical significance of events such as the Sharpeville Massacre in 1960 and the Soweto uprising of 1976 to appreciate why these current events are, probably, sending a "chill down the spine" of many people living in modern day South Africa.

1994 had many hopes but are things now starting to deteriorate?

Your blogger first stepped foot in South Africa in July 2004. Ten years had elapsed since the end of apartheid and a new visitor found a country apparently at ease with itself celebrating a decade of democracy. To the visitor there is much to offer and the overall beauty of the nation cannot be underestimated. However, having travelled the length and breadth of that nation there is an unpleasant side, which appears to be getting worse. Make no mistake about the poverty experienced by the vast majority of South Africans. You can't escape race in that country so let's not "beat about the bush", the vast majority of non-whites still live in informal settlements (townships). Unemployment, even with the daft government policy of affirmative action, is still endemic. There is a middle class doing very well; however, that is the exception rather than the "norm". It is hardly any wonder that strikes occur. That being said whatever possessed the South African Police to open fire with live rounds? Let's not forget South Africa is a democracy with (in theory) some of the most stringent human rights laws on the planet. It is despicable that Police Officers, some of whom would have been subjected to the same treatment by the apartheid era police, have opened fire on their own people. This can only lead to a "slippery slope" of political violence.

The warning from "next door": - Zimbabwe

The current government led by the African National Congress ("ANC") have been in power since the end of apartheid in 1994. The ANC hold office in the majority of the provinces. An exception being the Western Cape under the administration of the Democratic Alliance and Premier Helen Zille. It can be argued that the government has failed to deliver on many of the promises made at the various elections held in the democratic era. Unfortunately, when a political party is virtually guaranteed power (and make no mistake the ANC fall into this category) a certain complacency creeps in. With no real accountability to the electorate a nation effectively becomes a one party state. What incentive is there for those in power to actually tackle the problems of poverty and unemployment, as well as exploitative work practices if they know that come the next election they will be back with an overwhelming majority! Unless the ANC start to address corruption, incompetence, and their own complancey then your blogger fears South Africa will have gone the way of Zimbabwe within the next fifteen years. That would be a sad indictment on that nation and a betrayal of everything that people such as Nelson Mandela, Walter Sisulu, Helen Suzman, and others fought for over many years!