I AM both nauseated and frightened by the African National Congress’s (ANC’s) national general council meeting in Durban last week. Nauseated by the growing evidence that senior people in business are the ones pushing Julius Malema and his bid to get SA’s mines nationalised. And frightened by the clear evidence that President Jacob Zuma is simply not in charge, despite all the gushing claims to the contrary.
Having all but held the meeting in camera, we have only spin and leaks and official statements to go by, but there seems to be consensus in all forms that Tokyo Sexwale worked hard to keep the Malema show afloat. It is generally assumed anyway that he gives money to the Youth League, so that probably is no surprise. Then one of the papers yesterday quoted fellow miner Bridgette Radebe saying she’d be happy to have her mines nationalised so they could become the property of something called “our people”. Her brother, Patrice Motsepe, has also indicated in the recent past that he’d be open to the prospect of nationalisation.
With all that kind of money and clout behind him it is no wonder Malema feels he can do pretty much as he pleases.
Still, I don’t understand why Radebe (or any other beneficiary of empowerment in the mining industry) would think like this. BEE has been good to her. In fact she’s the epitome of BEE success — a woman, connected, clever and black . If ever you objected to this kind of thing, you were a racist or a coconut. Like all miners she would have had her ups and downs, but to try and have herself bought out during a “down” like now at taxpayers’ expense is just breathtaking.
Business is always hard and always unforgiving. If you don’t like waking up in the morning with a knot in your stomach then do something else. If we are genuinely trying to grow an entrepreneurial class of black people in SA then Radebe’s reported remarks in Durban set the worst possible example.
If the paper got her wrong, they have done her a real disservice. If they were right, it is the end of BEE as we know it because it makes the whole thing dishonest. Black people sought a stake in the economy. Those fortunate enough to have got some of it cannot be allowed simply to give it back or, worse, have it bought back from them by a state using taxes collected from ordinary people, because it is no longer convenient to own what they sought.
If Radebe wants to get her mines into the hands of “our people” then she should hand them over to the communities around the mines she controls. Dead simple. Don’t you love the way no one in the ANC ever suggests giving “the people” any actual power?
As for President Zuma, I doubt he has “dealt” with Malema the way the papers have been suggesting. We will see. Durban exposed his weaknesses rather than strengths. Speaking in code to an organisation you supposedly run doesn’t sound like leadership to me and nothing he says is going to happen ever seems to happen. Remember those “street committees” ANC branches were going to form after Polokwane to protect us all?
The one thing Zuma cannot live with is certainty. The moment he supports a policy position he opens himself up to attack from factions who don’t.
It’s why he announced yesterday he was going to head an investigation into everything in the economy — it means there’s to be no certainty about anything except the fact that he doesn’t have a position on anything. It’ll always be “under investigation”.
The debate on mine nationalisation has ended with a question mark as the ANC begins to “investigate” the idea. Is this a cunning way of parking it while Malema is dealt with? No, it’s buying time to see what happens. It means mining investors have to wait until at least 2012 for a straight answer. No one, not even the president, can tell them their investments are safe here for fear of the political consequences inside the ruling party. Another disgrace (like the hospitals, schools, etc) courtesy of the ANC. In the meantime, should they be investing merrily away, pouring their money into new capacity, training, safety underground, medical programmes for their staff, in BEE procurement policies, in beneficiation and infrastructure?
Would you if it was your money?
I am both nauseated and frightened by the African National Congress’s (ANC’s) national general council meeting in Durban last week. Nauseated by the growing evidence that senior people in business are the ones pushing Julius Malema and his bid to get SA’s mines nationalised. And frightened by the clear evidence that President Jacob Zuma is simply not in charge, despite all the gushing claims to the contrary.
Having all but held the meeting in camera, we have only spin and leaks and official statements to go by, but there seems to be consensus in all forms that Tokyo Sexwale worked hard to keep the Malema show afloat. It is generally assumed anyway that he gives money to the Youth League, so that probably is no surprise.
Then one of the papers yesterday quoted fellow miner Bridgette Radebe saying she’d be happy to have her mines nationalised so they could become the property of something called “our people”. Her brother, Patrice Motsepe, has also indicated in the recent past that he’d be open to the prospect of nationalisation.
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