Oh no Mr. President

[Dave A]

OK then. Not happy about petrol prices as a comparison.

How about car prices?
Property prices?

I know...
How about the price for a loaf of bread?

1994 - R2.79
2013 - R9.45 (or thereabouts).

[Blurock]

What did add to an unnecessary increase in the local fuel price, is all the levies and taxes added to the base price, supposedly for 3rd party insurance, road maintenance etc, but then stolen by central government to fund their own lavish lifestyles.

Theft and unproductivity adds to the cost of living. This includes theft by CEO's who steal from their own companies at the expense of their workers. Also tender fraud by government officials and the private sector, inflating the cost of goods and services paid for by the taxpayer. (e.g. construction companies recently in the news.) This is just the tip of the iceberg!

Instead of creating jobs and stability, we give handouts to people who will will remain to be beggars for the rest of their lives.

Social grant expenditure is set to rise from R113bn in 2013-14 to R121bn in 2014-15 and R129bn in 2015-16 — an average growth of 7.5% over the medium term.from Business Day

Grant beneficiaries have increased from 2.8-million in 1998 to 16.1-million in 2013. This does not include billions spent on fictitious employees ("ghost workers") employed by government departments, tender fraud and the money stolen by government officials.

I see this all as adding to waste and unproductivity and as a major cause of inflation! ...but I am not an economist, I just live here.

[Chrisjan B]

And the 16.1 -million in 2013 is the 2014 voters.....
Such a happy thought!

[Blurock]

And the 16.1 -million in 2013 is the 2014 voters.....
Such a happy thought!

Pimp my vote!

[Dave S]

When you want a vote, give something for free and the voters will keep coming back, when you want to build a country, give hope to businesses to grow, the votes will be fewer, but far more meaningful... Oh wait!... they don't want meaningful quality, just quantity.

[Blurock]

There are now more people benefiting from social grants and other handouts than actual voters. So the chances are that they will always vote for the ANC that "set them free". Agang, the DA, and other splinter groups have very little chance in this scenario.

What is encouraging though, is that even the beneficiaries of ANC handouts are getting ''Gatvol". The reality is that the people do not like Zuma's style and morality and see him as an embarrassment. The writing is on the wall, so much so, that Zuma has to convince the people that Mr Mandela "approves of the way that he runs the ANC". The constant press releases and the offensive photo shoot and press conference with an ailing Madiba has to convince the people that he is still in charge and the "chosen one".

I am totally a-political, but recently find it interesting to take note of what is happening on the political front, as it also has an impact on the way that we do business. Some interesting thoughts;

The AbaThembu king, Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo says that the ANC has lost its way, and that he plans to join the DA. He said that the ANC had pushed corrupt leaders to the top of the party, according to a Sunday Times report. Dalindyebo, is a cousin of former president Nelson Mandela.

The IFP has won a constituency from the ANC last week. Can they make a comeback? Maybe if Dr Buthelezi resigns. Agang is attracting some black graduates, elite and young people. It still has to be seen whether they will make an impact on the rural communities. The DA is gaining ground, but is still seen as a "white party" in the rural areas and is slated as such by the ANC.

Most black people are ignorant of the fact that the majority of white voters supported a vote for change in a referendum, which enabled all South Africans to share in a democracy. We now have the responsibility to act as a democracy and not to abuse that trust placed in us.