Apartheid era is back in South Africa

Miscellaneous Current Events
1

“We are free but we have no jobs, and we are hungry.”

Some freedom their democracy got them.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/africa/article7022682.ece

Mrs Ntali first came to Soweto with her husband, who died in 2002, in the heady days after Nelson Mandela’s release from prison 20 years ago today. They moved into the Elias Motsoaledi “informal settlement” — politically correct jargon for unauthorised slum dwellings — on the edge of the sprawling township. “We have stayed here for a long time now but nothing has changed. Now we are free but we are not happy … we have no jobs, we are hungry. Since Mandela left, there have been no changes,” she said.

Last week the settlement, home to several hundred dirt-poor black South Africans, erupted in violence. Tired of broken promises to provide electricity and lavatories, a group cut off the power supply to some new council houses near by. The police arrived. A riot quickly broke out. The police responded with teargas, rubber bullets and then baton charges. The scene was straight from the apartheid era.

2

The National Party was a bunch of racist socialist sycophants. They couldn’t sustain a fraction of the population with their fascist policies for more than two decades.

Today, the ANC is a bunch of racist socialist sycophants. They are trying to sustain the entire population with the policies of yesteryear. And people still wonder why there is rampant poverty and unemployment?

3

I read the excerpt, however, I do not understand how apartheid is back in South Africa.

4

I think he means the same grinding poverty, not the actual social and legal segregation.

5

Grinding poverty is social and legal segregation, even more so when the poor attempt to fight back and are beaten by police.

6

They’re disgruntled the kleptocratic councils aren’t lavishing them with goods and services purchased with stolen money? What a shame. And it was only a few years ago immigrants were to blame for all problems.

7

Boo effing hoo. Next time, maybe they’ll think twice about chasing off the market-dominant minority.

8

There was/is a fear that the African government will follow in the footsteps of Zimbabwe in territory expropriation. The South African government, so far, has paid white farmers to sell their land to the government, so that they can redistribute it. Nevertheless, there is the same problem of reducing productivity (imagine the government buying a steel mill and giving it someone based only on their skin color; you’d think that steel mill would probably cease being profitable).

9

The biggest restriction in our economy (I live in Johannesburg in South Africa) is the incredibly regulated labour market which as even I, given my limited exposure to Austrian economics, has learnt that labour regulation often hurts the poor and “working class” the most.

In order to get round this the market has had to basically resort to using labour brokers. Don’t know if many people are familiar with what labour brokers are and do, but it would be interesting for someone with a much better understanding (Given that I still haven’t read Human Action , Man, Economy and State etc.) of economics and austrian economics to analyze the labour laws, brokers and how this has affected the market.

Unfortunately the unions (COSATU) and the SACP (South African Communist Party) have a lot of sway in politics locally, particularly the SACP because their role in fighting the apartheid government.

Because of the labour regulations, labour brokers have provided a means to allow people to employ workers and essentially bypass the unions, but now the unions want labour broking to be banned.

It is also a fact that BEE policies (Broad-based Economic Empowerment) are policies that allow certain people to make a lot of money, so instead of uplifting many “previously disadvantaged” people (The PC term for blacks, coloureds and indians) it just results in a few very rich and wealthy “previously disadvantaged” people.

Our presidents recent “private” affairs have made us all look like morons (Polygamy, illegitimate children) and the infamous Julias Malema, who is literally a walking joke hasn’t helped world opinion of SA either.

PS: For those of you who don’t know much about some of the African tribal customs, polygamy is allowed in certain cultures. However this practice is not the norm. There are many people from very old tribal-cultural backgrounds who have not met a single polygamist. Polygamy whilst a “cultural” phenomenon is not the norm even within the cultures where it is practiced. So Zuma’s “its our culture” explanation really falls flat.

Then again, if its done by voluntary association it shouldn’t be banned either.

10

I got nothing against polygamy. It’s voluntary, ain’t it?

And I wouldn’t care if Obama had twenty wives, as long as he left me alone.