GPSA Weekly Views

Rain, rain and more rain. And chilly weather! Isn't this a great country! The summer rains are a bit late, but at least we got some water again.

A scarce resource in our part of the world with the governments' promise to provide these free of charge to those who cannot afford it. Well, at the cost of those who can! Another thing government eventually realised they cannot provide is basic health care. There are talks that they're playing with the idea of taxing Joe Citizen an additional 4,5% in order to fund those who cannot afford the "free basic health care"! Of course the "people" will resist this, but we all know what government is all about. Some clever dick came up with the idea and it won't be long before they push the necessary legislation through parliament. With the ANC majority all over the place it might just become reality sooner than what we hope for.

And the Zimbabwe / Cosatu story is still making headlines. Cosatu (the trade union) insists on doing something else other than the "quiet diplomacy" route government picked. They want action, and they want it now. Of course the ANC wants Cosatu to drop the whole thing, especially after the Cosatu members were expelled from Zims on their last visit. And of course our Desmond Tutu jumped in as well. He criticized ANC members for following the ANC doctrine with blindfolds, not questioning any actions taken by the party. And Mbeki replied with a scathing attack on Tutu saying that the cleric is obviously oblivious of party politics and procedures.

Even the SACP (South African Communist Party) is talking about a split from the tripartite alliance (ANC, Cosatu and the SACP). And these are the points of difference between the three (mostly the two against the ANC) -

Policy battles must be kept behind the alliance doors - the other two want it in the streets for all to see and understand.

Zimbabwe must get their human rights abuses exposed instead of the ANC's preferred "quiet diplomacy".

BEE (Black economic empowerment) must "go" as the ANC is only enriching it's mates faster than the poor.

Land invasions are a no-no but the SACP and Cosatu want affordable banking for the poor to afford land.

A basic income grant is too rich for the country according to the ANC, the other two insist that where there's a will there's a way.

The ANC belief in moderation as far as the economy goes, the other two are pushing for job creation on a great scale with higher taxes, a softer Rand and no privatization.

Some I agree with (actually most), but the last two points will hit everybody hard. We cannot afford a "dole" system full stop! Nor can we afford higher taxes or not privatizing bloated government parastatals (like Telkom).

Weekly View
	9 December 2004
Rain, rain and more rain. And chilly weather! Isn't this a great country! The summer rains are a bit late, but at least we got some water again. A scarce resource in our part of the world with the governments' promise to provide these free of charge to those who cannot afford it. Well, at the cost of those who can! Another thing government eventually realised they cannot provide is basic health care. There are talks that they're playing with the idea of taxing Joe Citizen an additional 4,5% in order to fund those who cannot afford the "free basic health care"! Of course the "people" will resist this, but we all know what government is all about. Some clever dick came up with the idea and it won't be long before they push the necessary legislation through parliament. With the ANC majority all over the place it might just become reality sooner than what we hope for. And the Zimbabwe / Cosatu story is still making headlines. Cosatu (the trade union) insists on doing something else other than the "quiet diplomacy" route government picked. They want action, and they want it now. Of course the ANC wants Cosatu to drop the whole thing, especially after the Cosatu members were expelled from Zims on their last visit. And of course our Desmond Tutu jumped in as well. He criticized ANC members for following the ANC doctrine with blindfolds, not questioning any actions taken by the party. And Mbeki replied with a scathing attack on Tutu saying that the cleric is obviously oblivious of party politics and procedures. Even the SACP (South African Communist Party) is talking about a split from the tripartite alliance (ANC, Cosatu and the SACP). And these are the points of difference between the three (mostly the two against the ANC) - Policy battles must be kept behind the alliance doors - the other two want it in the streets for all to see and understand. Zimbabwe must get their human rights abuses exposed instead of the ANC's preferred "quiet diplomacy". BEE (Black economic empowerment) must "go" as the ANC is only enriching it's mates faster than the poor. Land invasions are a no-no but the SACP and Cosatu want affordable banking for the poor to afford land. A basic income grant is too rich for the country according to the ANC, the other two insist that where there's a will there's a way. The ANC belief in moderation as far as the economy goes, the other two are pushing for job creation on a great scale with higher taxes, a softer Rand and no privatization. Some I agree with (actually most), but the last two points will hit everybody hard. We cannot afford a "dole" system full stop! Nor can we afford higher taxes or not privatizing bloated government parastatals (like Telkom).	Past Views Current Joke Past jokes Gallery Links Current Exchange Rate Daily News Headlines
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