ANC’s insane policy direction must change drastically to save Gauteng
25 February 2021
Today, in reply to Premier David Makhura's State of the Province Address (SOPA), the FF Plus accused the ANC government of insanity, which had destroyed the province's economy long before the Covid-19 pandemic came into the picture.
Although the pandemic afforded the ANC an opportunity to join hands with the people of the province to stand in solidarity and revise its failed economic policy, the ANC instead opted to intensify its insane approach with further policies of economic centralisation, regulatory interference and racist exclusion from the economy.
Even though the ANC had no power to prevent the pandemic, it had absolute power over the Gauteng economy, which yielded very poor results: junk status and a socio-economic implosion.
It is reminiscent of a quote attributed to Albert Einstein, namely that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.
It is reasonable to expect that a party confronted with a global pandemic and with a history of failed economic policy, will stop digging the hole in which it finds itself even deeper by changing its approach.
The ANC did indeed change its approach, not by changing its failed policy, but by intensifying that policy even further. That equals insanity squared.
The FF Plus also expressed that it is reasonable to expect that a party confronted with a global pandemic and with a history of failed economic policy, will provide adequate protective equipment and food aid to communities.
The ANC did indeed provide aid – not to those in need, though, it aided those who wanted to commit tender fraud and it centralised food aid to the detriment of the poor. That equals insanity on a quantum scale.
The only way to put an end to all this madness is to urgently implement the right economic policy. It would be advisable for the ANC to test which policy works: the ANC's centralist and socialist policy or a market-orientated policy without government interference and corruption.
Thus, the FF Plus proposes that one of the Special Economic Zones (SEZs) in Gauteng must be exempted from any government interference and then the development results of that SEZ must be compared to those of other SEZs.
Elon Musk had to leave South Africa to become incredibly successful. It would not come as a surprise that he would be willing to invest in the aerospace SEZ in Gauteng on condition that it is completely free of government interference.
Serious consideration must be given to the reason why he moved SpaceX from California to Texas. Elon Musk simply wanted to escape the insanity of government interference and poor economic policy.
The most vulnerable (and failed) states are found on the African continent. If a market-orientated policy for growth is not implemented in Gauteng at once, South Africa will soon join that unfortunate club of failed states.
Regardless of whether that should be the case, the FF Plus will keep pushing forward to establish a better dispensation for its supporters.
Issued by Anton Alberts, FF Plus national chairperson and MPL: Gauteng, 25 February 2021
