It is becoming increasingly difficult to comprehend how the government thinks, or even thinks. They are economically and ideologically bankrupt and strategically incoherent. While our own people and those of our neighbors are stuck in poverty, unemployment and hunger, the government has again donated money to Cuba: this time R50 million. The government has already spent more than R1.3 billion on agreements with the Cuban government alone on how to employ Cubans in South Africa. This excludes what is spent on the implementation of those agreements, most of which have produced highly questionable results. With our foreign policy tattered and overweight…
It is becoming increasingly difficult to comprehend how the government thinks, or even thinks.
They are economically and ideologically bankrupt and strategically incoherent. While our own people and those of our neighbors are stuck in poverty, unemployment and hunger, the government has once again money donated to Cuba: R50 million this time.
The government has already spent more than R1.3 billion on agreements with the Cuban government alone on how to employ Cubans in South Africa. This excludes what is spent on the implementation of those agreements, most of which have produced highly questionable results.
With our foreign policy in tatters and considered a joke by many African governments, this philanthropic gesture by our bankrupt government only reinforces the belief that they care neither for their own people nor for Africa.
It’s time for the government to realize that its first priority is its own people, and then Africa – not a remote island that has already cost us more than a billion rand. Were these charitable gestures made with taxpayers’ money? No doubt they were.
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So where did the government suddenly find this money that could have been spent much better? Or is the government planning to quietly add Cubans to our already faltering welfare system? South Africa is part of the African continent.
Yet our government, suspiciously enough, believes and lives the motto “Cuban solutions to South African problems”.
Cuba has an unemployment rate of 3.5%. We are proud of our growing unemployment rate of approximately 35% – if these numbers are to be trusted.
Yet we give money and employment to Cubans at the expense of qualified, unemployed South Africans. That borders on insanity. Where Cuba played a part in our so-called liberation, their role was small compared to the rest of Africa.
Cuba should be at the bottom of South Africa’s priority list, with our own The Vanir-exoduss at the top. It’s time to move on, and away, from Cuba.
Or is there a silent system of bribes from Cuba to some of our already super-wealthy ministers? Countries like Zambia, Angola, Zimbabwe, Tanzania and others played an important role in the democratization of South Africa. So why do we prefer Cuba over all the others?
Given the many wretched failings of our government, both domestically and internationally, you would think there was a desire to become a true powerhouse and trusted partner of Africa.
Not so. Instead, South Africa is trying to distance itself further from Africa and alienate the few friends we have left on the continent. As we entered the era of democracy, South Africa was poised to have a major impact on Africa in many areas.
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Yet our leaders made sure that we became the laughing stock of the continent – a damp dinghy with no fuse. And they are determined to keep us there. When South Africa took over the government in 1994, many in Africa were jealous.
We had a developed economy, functioning and well-developed infrastructure, a thriving defense industry, we exported electricity, we had law and order – one-sided as it was, we had a strong and respected defense force, we had well-functioning schools with education from high quality and we exported technology.
Before criticizing the desire to return to before 1994, this is not the case. What is the case is that we have not made any progress.
Instead, we destroyed what we had and went backwards. Our government has failed us and the continent on many fronts and continues to do so – daily.
- Mashaba is a political advisor