era debt, which should have been cancelled. A
wealth tax on the super-rich to fund developmental
projects was set aside, and domestic and international corporations, enriched by apartheid, were
excused from any financial reparations. Extremely
tight budgetary obligations were instituted that
would tie the hands of any future governments.
Legislation to implement a free-trade policy and
abolish all forms of tariff protection, in keeping
with neo-liberal free trade fundamentals, were
accepted. Big corporations were allowed to shift
their headquarters abroad, minimising tax payments. In Terreblanche’s opinion, these ANC
concessions constituted “treacherous decisions that
[will] haunt South Africa for generations to come”.
An ANC-Communist party leadership eager to
assume political office (myself no less than others)
readily accepted this devil’s pact, only to be damned
in the process. It has bequeathed an economy so
tied to the neoliberal global formula and market
fundamentalism that there is very little wiggle
room to alleviate the plight of most of our people.
Little wonder that their patience is running out,
that their anguished protests increase as they wrestle with deteriorating conditions of life, that those
in power have no solutions. The scraps that are left
go to the emergent black elite; corruption has taken
root as the greedy and ambitious fight like dogs
over a bone.
required. The ANC’s soul needs to be restored, its
traditional values and culture of service reinstated.
The pact with the devil needs to be broken.
At present, the impoverished majority do not see
any hope other than the ruling party, although the
ANC’s ability to hold those allegiances is deteriorating. The effective parliamentary opposition reflects
big business interests of various stripes, and while a
strong parliamentary opposition is vital to keep the
ANC on its toes, most voters want socialist policies,
not measures inclined to serve big business interests, more privatisation, and neo-liberal economics.
In South Africa in 2008 the poorest 50% received
only 7.8% of total income. While 83% of white
South Africans were among the top 20% of income
receivers in 2008, only 11% of our black population
were. These statistics conceal unmitigated human
suffering. Little wonder that the country has seen
such an enormous rise in civil protest.
This does not mean it is only up to the ANC, SACP,
and Cosatu to rescue the country from crises. There
are countless patriots and comrades in existing and
emerging organised formations who are vital to
the process. Then there are the legal avenues and
institutions such as the public protector’s office
and human rights commission that — including
the ultimate appeal to the Constitutional Court —
can test, expose, and challenge injustice and the
infringement of rights. The strategies and tactics
of the grassroots — trade unions, civic and community organisations, women’s and youth groups
— point the way ahead with their non-violent and
dignified but militant action.
A descent into darkness must be curtailed. I do not
believe the ANC alliance is beyond hope. There are
countless good people in the ranks. But a revitalisation and renewal from top to bottom is urgently
The freedom and space to express one’s views, won
through decades of struggle, are available and need
to be developed. We look to the Born Frees as the
future torchbearers.
[End of excerpt.]
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