What Has This Country Become?
Never did I ever imagine that I would be living in a country where my government weaponizes every lever of power in the state to wage war against its people! As a teenager, watching the Springboks lift the William Webb Ellis trophy for the first time—Mandela proudly donning Francois Pienaar’s No. 6 jersey—it felt like the Rainbow Nation was not as far-fetched as it seems today, 30 years later.
Sadly, the ousting of Thabo Mbeki by the Zuma-ites ushered in an unthinkable era marked by rampant racism, insatiable greed, and a lust for power beyond imagination! With ‘Msholozi’ Jacob Zuma at the helm—the ultimate Zulu puppet master—his loyal, zombie-like followers embarked on full-blown state capture, dooming our country from the very first day of his tenure.
Zuma’s Stalingrad tactics, political manoeuvring, and devious agendas have cemented him as the undisputed champion of avoiding accountability. Perhaps it was his presidency that ignited the ANC’s unquenchable thirst for absolute control and power. Today, under Cyril Ramaphosa, we face a similar yet different predicament. He is a master of public relations, carefully crafting the image of an astute and articulate leader while simultaneously ensuring that ANC cadres remain well-fed and rewarded. His entire strategy revolves around maintaining his grip on power within a self-enriched cabal of state capturers.
Thirty years into our democracy, we appear to have taken one step forward in the late 1990s—only to stumble five steps back in our dream of a non-racial society. With figures like Naledi Pandor spearheading accusations against Israel over genocide in Gaza, South Africa now faces one of its toughest challenges yet—surviving Donald Trump’s impending policies on AGOA and PEPFAR.
Trump has proven himself as a leader who prioritizes his own people—unlike Ramaphosa, who prioritizes the ANC cadres above all else. By increasing taxes, enforcing B-BBEE policies, marginalizing the most skilled individuals based on their skin colour, and imposing exorbitant electricity, airtime, and service tariffs, the ANC has successfully dismantled the system. They have crushed any hope of a Rainbow Nation 2.0, firmly aligning themselves as a Russian-Iranian ally with little regard for their own citizens—or for the United States, for that matter.
Right now, despite losing their outright majority, Ramaphosa and his ANC cabinet remain fixated on how much longer they can loot, destroy, and plunder the already bone-dry South African economy. Like leeches, they cling to their host; like parasites, they drain the last drops of life from our nation’s veins. And all the while, they know that Zimbabwe’s fate would suit them far better than relinquishing power to the White Man.
What has our country become? Where are we heading? Who can save us from the abyss of Cadre Enrichment, which threatens to cast us into the depths of yet another failed African state—plagued by fatherlessness and the spirit of poverty?
May God help us! The leeches of this swamp are multiplying, and they seem unstoppable!
