GAUTENG
COMMENT, by Pete Bower
MAGAZINE
HOW TO MAKE YOUR PLOT PROFITABLE
Vol 19 No 3
March 2018
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FRONT COVER
Red Kentshire miniature cattle on a
smallholding East of Pretoria
... read about them inside
Interesting times
P
hew! What a month it's been! The speed with which anti-Jacob
Zuma sentiment gathered momentum within the ranks of the
ANC, and which preceded his recall by the party, which in turn
preceded his rather undignified public resignation and disap-
pearance from public life was positively breathtaking to see.
That, and the speed with which the Hawks have started to round up the state
capturers and looters, were instructive illustrations of “how the worm turns”.
And so South Africa has a new president and, by the time you read this, probably a
new cabinet as well.
And the change in national spirit on the weekend immediately after Pres Ramaphosa's
first State of the Nation Address was almost palpable.
With the exception of a couple of churlish opposition commentators, the general
sentiment on the State of the Nation Address was positive. Ramaphosa's emphasis on
unity and renewal was well received by all South Africans who hark back to the
halcyon early Mandela years when we as a nation appeared united and unbeatable.
And if nothing else it was a pleasure to hear an articulate president fluently deliver a
speech full of more than just cliches, with passion and with humour, and especially
pleasurable to listen to the obvious barbs being hurled at some of Zuma's useless
cabinet ministers, many of whom looked decidedly glum.
And so Ramaphosa spent his first weekend riding a wave of popularity and enthusiasm
that he will probably not enjoy again.
For within his upbeat speech were the snippets of ANC policy which his government
wishes to address, and which, in some cases are unworkable and badly thought
through, and in other cases which will simply be thoroughly unpopular.
And so, as he tries to implement those policies Ramaphosa will find his popularity
waning.
Three bits of ANC policy in particular come to mind.
K Land expropriation without compensation. While the need to speed up and
properly implement a land reform programme is not in question, the idea of expropri-
ating land without compensation is as bizarre and poorly articulated as it will be
destructive if ever it comes to implementation. And the history of this idea within the
ANC is instructive. For years it was actively denounced by the more level-headed
members of the party as being unworkable. Then Julius Malema broke away from the
ANC, formed the EFF and appropriated the idea as EFF policy. Then, late on the last
night of the ANC conference in December last year the idea of expropriation without
compensation reappeared and, probably because delegates by then were tired and
frustrated, it was quickly voted in to the organisation's policy once more.
Whether Ramaphosa actually sees the idea as a good one and has a sensible imple-
mentation plan only time will tell. He is a businessman and farmer in his own right,
after all, and he may see it, as we do, as unworkable, destructive and unconstitutional.
K Jacob Zuma's free tertiary education for the poor. This was actually Zuma's
swansong, which he foisted on the government in the most cynical and stupid of his
many cynical and stupid moves. At this stage it has been watered down to free tertiary
education for first year students of families earning less than R350 000 a year. That in
itself will cost R12,7 billion which the government will need to find.
K The National Health Insurance scheme. While in the health portfolio Dr Aaron
Motsoaledi is undoubtedly the most qualified cabinet minister of the lot, he has fixated
on introducing this scheme in the misguided belief that it will improve health care for
the poor while not impacting upon the healthcare which the more well-heeled pay for
through expensive medical aid schemes. His scheme, details of which will be
an nounced shortly, will lead to higher costs and worse health care for all.
It is worth observing that with all the interventions the ANC has introduced for the
poor since 1994 ~ free or heavily discounted RDP housing, free education in no-fee
schools, now free tertiary education, social and child grants (given monthly to 17
million citizens) and almost free medical care ~ South Africa is by far the best African
country to live in if you are poor.
But back to Ramaphosa. On the basis of the three policy pillars outlined above alone,
he has a significant burden which will see his abilities as a negotiator sorely tested, and
which may dent his popularity in future.
However, to be fair, nothing and nobody could have been worse than more of Jacob
Zuma and we wish Ramaphosa well in his task ahead.
SAY YOU SAW IT IN THE GAUTENG SMALLHOLDER