Quote: (12-05-2013 06:33 PM)Starke Wrote:
Gonna go against the grain here.
While certainly a courageous and brave man, Nelson Mandela was ultimately a useful idiot for the political forces behind Mbeki and Zuma.
Prior to his ascendancy to power, South Africa was the shining light of the African economy- a bastion of stability in a continent of chaos. Far safer than its neighbours, an agricultural powerhouse which was gradually gaining respect as a strong place for international business. The downside of course, being poverty for the native black population.
Today, South Africa is regarded as a basket case. It's no longer a place which attracts talent, conversely, it suffers from a massive brain-drain. Crime is rampant, South Africa now has world-leading rates for murder, assault, rape (adult, child and infant). International business no longer thrives in Jo'burg and CT - elite talent simply does not want to go there.
Native blacks are free, great, but they are still shockingly poor and now even more vulnerable to crime.
Mandela was undoubtedly an admirable bloke, but you can only judge a politician by the benefits they bring their nation
On that metric, he and his ANC have been an abject failure.
South Africa was nothing more then a big hustle in its old days. The old white stock was kept happy with agriculture and some resources but the real wealth was always being (and continues to be) shipped of shore to oligarchs in the Netherlands and the UK.
Mandela was able to bargain power, political capital power but he couldn't get the 'keys to the purse' and the old stock was not going to give up the wealth unless it was taken from them. Your faced now with a situation to push ahead a violet revolution, and maybe get nothing, or gamble that you can use political means to get access to the wealth and resources through strategy and time. From a rational play he took the best option as it ensured him gains and power politically.
The money/wealth was never going to be given back without force and blood. This is a important lesson. and I used it many times during the loony OWS movement. These rich guys, they are scared of you only when you go at them with a club, gun, or knife. They are scared shirtless of the common man with a gun but will never give the common man shit unless he takes it from them.
The mess is that you have now is stock of petty Black South Africans whom act as gate keepers to the top end of the old stock of SA whites whom continue to send the countries wealth off-shore. What is left is a rich and wealthy stock of Black SA, but there is nothing else as a means of opportunities and ability for economic advancement for the rest of the SA Black lower class.
Its nothing more then wealth stealing. The economy is still not in the hands of the Black SA population and its obvious to see. It has 4 times the size of GDP of Serbia yet is just as poor (GDP x PPP) wise. It has more money per capita then Ukraine but you don't hear people wallowing about that place even though its was worse shape.
The White SA stock don't like the instability and ship their kids of to Canada the first chance they can. Black SA stock see better opportunities else where and go to Europe to be doctors and start business up. Brain drain is one issue for sure but its a lot more complex then you paint it to be. The main issues stem from the inability for South Africa to control its wealth, the rest of its issues stem from that starting point.