The Week That Was

Gerald Potash,

Hello again,

Week after week the biggest talking point in our country is the effect that load shedding has on all of us and the economy. Fikile Mbalula, the Secretary-General of the ANC announced on the weekend that load shedding would be a thing of the past by December. Then Cyril said it too and it is simply so unlikely that there had to be something behind it. And there is!

SA is on the cusp of signing a highly contentious 20 year deal with Turkey to engage three Karpowerships. These are 3 Turkish ships that convert liquid has into power and they are destined to moor in three of our most important harbours. But there is serious opposition not only from environmentalists but also from politicians pointing out that  we simply can’t afford such a deal.

Then Fikile Mbalula admitted on Tuesday on the BBC’s Hard Talk programme with Stephen Sackur that we are near to a being a “failed state”. He admitted that “This load-shedding has just made a mess of our country”

What he should have added is that he Party, the ANC is the root cause of that mess.

Indeed it is almost certain that we are headed for a recession if decent power supply is not achieved soon but this Karpowership deal is coming under lots of censure. The primary objection is that SA shouldn’t and wouldn’t need it if Eskom we’re privatised.

Economists are warning that sustained stage 8 load shedding will plunge us into another economic contraction where growth will be most unlikely.

The weakened Rand will probably see yet another repo rate hike this week further hurting any chance of an economic recovery. This Rico cartoon is even more prescient than it was when featured in Business Maverick 18 months ago: 

The government’s bitter reaction to Andre de Ruyter’s book is to be expected. Min Pravin Gordhan, in a  Parliamentary hearing at SCOPA (standing committee on public accounts) laid into de Ruyter. Then the Chairman of the Eskom board (Mpho Makwana) at a media briefing about our load shedding situation accused de Ruyter, in his book Truth to Power, of breaking the confidentiality entrusted in him “in the most despicable public manner”. Certainly his book hits hard at the greed, graft, incompetence and absolute arrogance of the cadres. The bottom line is that we are in for years more of load shedding in spite of what the cadres tell us.  Prof.Winkler of the University of Johannesburg warns South Africans to prepare for at least another five years of load-shedding. The size and ease at which the cadres steel from the State (us) is well known but when specifics come to light we stand aghast. 

Two of our well-read Sunday papers highlight the lavishness of the Executive where R93 million has been spent on ‘upgrades’.

City Press, the Sunday paper headlines on their front page ‘Cabinet Ministers’ R93m Bonanza’

The Sunday Times front page featured an article about R400,000-00 which was charged to clean a minister’s home of cockroaches.  Then later it was reported that the vice-chancellor of UNISA spent R8000 on teaching her maid how to vacuum one flight of carpeted stairs.

And the same lady paid R285,000 for curtains valued at R21,000. 

Do you think it’s any different at Eskom?

Or any of the other SOE’s. 

It has taken just 29 years for the ANC to have brought Africa’s largest and most robust economy to its knees and the fact of the matter is that Ramaphosa has not slowed the rot. One wonders if he has even tried. Ramaphosa has been taken to task more than once about the outlandish perks awarded to the executive. Oh, of course he defended the ministerial handbook. You know that to him the ANC is more important than SA. He said so quite openly at the Zondo Commission.

You will not believe Cyril’s latest trick. He says he is going to negotiate a peace treaty between Russia and Ukraine.

Seriously!

SA is sending more than one team to Russia, with help from some African countries. Then they will go to Ukraine with proposals.

Cyril has as much chance of achieving that dream as Don Quixote had of killing the windmill. 

But pretty soon SA is going to have to choose between the dallying with Russia or staying on friendly terms with one of our very biggest trading partners, USA.  

SA was conspicuously absent from the annual G7 meeting in Hiroshima this week. The announcement that these affluent countries are going to impose even more stringent sanctions on Russia wouldn’t have suited the ANC so its just as well our usual invitation was withdrawn. 

We can expect SA to become even more isolated because of those pro-Russian attitudes.

Cholera has broken out in Hammanskraal just North of Tswane(Pretoria to you). The reason? Lack of proper service delivery. The water from the taps is undrinkable and the residents have to drink bottled water. 15 people have already died and one of the Drs there wants all the councillors who are responsible for this outbreak to be sued.

Unfortunately it won’t happen.

What is clear though is that this government is not even capable of supplying basic services.

A good news story is that Jacob Zuma got another ‘klap’ in court last week when a full-bench ruled that there is no special law for Zuma. This was a case where Ramaphosa appealed that Zuma’s private prosecution against him was unconstitutional. Zuma wanted to stop Ramaphosa giving evidence in the matter where he, JZ is fighting to have Billy Downer, the prosecutor in the “Arms Deal” removed.

I loved reading yesterday that Google maps had renamed the ANC headquarters Chief Albert Lootfreely house (instead of Chief Albert Luthuli) House.

Capetonians will be celebrating the 100 years of Disney in July. The magical show will take place at the Grand West arena from the 7th to the 10th of July.

Early this week some of the usual suspects got together at the CT Press Club under the auspices of that character of note, Dennis. We listened to Jonny Steinberg talking about his new book: Winnie and Nelson  Portrait of a Marriage. This mammoth work is one of the great books of the latest generation of political works. When you read the full page that Business Day devoted to this book you will understand what a gem it truly is.  By using your fingers on your phone or iPad you should be able to read this review. Now you know why I rate Business Day as  one of our very best dailies. And you will no doubt agree that the book is well known worth a read.

Every single ticket for Saturday’s rugby final at the Cape Town Stadium has been sold. 

Within 3 hours of going on sale all the tickets for the game were sold. The stadium only seats 55,000 but double that amount could have been sold, there is so much excitement in Saturday’s game. 

The city council of CT has arranged special busses to take spectators from the allotted parking lots to and from the game. The Stormers take on Ireland’s Munster and it is likely to be a cracker.

After a great first half and a magnificent Harry Kane goal  Spurs went down 1-3 at home to a team bellow them on the log. Disappointing isn’t the word. Watching the game unravel the coach and I got more and more miserable. Oh, it’s hard being a Spurs fan.

As always,

Gerald