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Win or lose,
let's stay unified beyond the game
I am writing this just two days before the Springboks take to the field to thrash England in the Rugby World Cup in Paris. I must admit that due to a bit of hefty business pressure over the past two weeks, I have been out of the general euphoria that has gripped the country. However, tomorrow I'm going to wake up, don my green and gold shirt and go full-out to do a quick catch-up with the rest of the country. After a morning meeting in Pretoria, lunch-time will be spent in a sports bar with
FleetWatch staff as a preparatory teaser for the great day that lies ahead. It will also be used as an antidote to clear the political-inspired dark clouds from my brain so that I can concentrate on celebrating South Africa's finest moment this year. I'm even going to forgive President Thabo Mbeki for the damage he has done to my psyche this year and link hands with him across the ocean as we as a nation stand in solidarity behind our great rugby team. Eieesh! Yebo da Bokke!!!!
All this is so refreshing compared to the absolute 'drek' we have all been dished up with by our politicians over the past year - escalating over the past few months. Without repeating all the gory and sordid details which fine newspapers such as the
Mail & Guardian and Sunday Times have uncovered, suffice to say that we have seen controversy after controversy being played out among our highest ranking politicians - right up to our President. Mbeki's suspension of Vusi Pikoli, National Director of Public Prosecutions - ostensibly for an "irretrievable breakdown" in relations with his boss, Justice Minister Brigitte Mabandla - later breaks out into yet another scandal, this time as an alleged motive to stop a warrant of arrest being served on our highest ranking police official, National Police Commissioner and Head of Interpol Jackie Selebi who is accused of being linked to criminal activities. A real confidence booster this one is: The head of cops may be a criminal himself. He certainly has a good mate who is currently on bail and under house arrest for a host of alleged criminal activities. That's Glenn Agliotti. And all this is taking place in a country which has one of the highest crime rates in the world.
Let's now bring in our former Deputy President Jacob Zuma, the man who gave the world the easy cure to AIDS - all you need do is to step into a shower and you're done. Zuma, who was fired by Mbeki as Deputy President in 2005 after he was implicated in the arms corruption scandal, is one of the front-runners to take over as head of the ANC - and this despite the cloud of corruption still hanging over his head. The rivalry between Mbeki and Zuma has intensified over the year and has led to some of the worst infighting within the ANC ever. Then we get our esteemed kleptomaniac and expert wine-taster, Mini Rambo Manto, who continues to dish out controversy after controversy from the moment she wakes up to the moment she goes to sleep which, based on her daytime performances, is just after she wakes up. For ages, this lady has shown nothing but an amazing propensity for being the most incompetent person around and yet our President continues to stand by her allowing her to continue heading a department which is in absolute shambles. She should be fired - not for her alleged alcoholism as on this point, my heart goes out to her for having an illness which is beyond her control - but simply because she is a useless Minister of Health who has done nothing to improve anything in her portfolio.
I could go on and on - and we haven't even touched on some of the shenanigans taking place at provincial government level. However, to sum up, I think the actions of our top ranking politicians are nothing short of being a major embarrassment to the nation. South Africa's politicians, who are supposed to create a climate of safety, security and well-being for the citizens of this country - for the voters who put them into power - are dragging us all down into the quagmire of dirt where they have been operating for months. I say this because I, like all South Africans, have a comparison yardstick by which to measure the present bunch of politicos. That yardstick is our much beloved former President Nelson Mandela who showed not only South Africa but indeed the world what true Statesmanship is all about. Not for him any narrow self-vested interests. Rather, his largesse towards all was magnanimous and exemplary. Certainly we knew that his successor would battle to fill his shoes and none of us expected a carbon copy for there is only one Madiba. But, we certainly didn't expect what we have now. What Mbeki and his cronies seem to have forgotten is that there is a larger party to worry about than just themselves and the ANC. It's not a political party. Rather, it is a nation called South Africa - not long ago affectionately referred to as the Miracle Rainbow Nation. In their awful scramble for self gain, they have forgotten
that South Africa and the 48-million people who are members of this party - are the ones they should be serving and whose best interests they should be bearing in mind in all their actions. But no, instead of doing this, they are pulling South Africa down and down and down.
I mentioned at the beginning of this comment that some hefty business pressure has taken me out of the general euphoria that has gripped the country over the past two weeks. I must add that although the pressure has been there, it has been a most stimulating time. I have met with businessmen in this industry who are going all out to contribute to helping the country thrive. However, without exception, each one of them mentioned their deep concern that the actions of our political leaders are acting as a depressing and inhibiting factor to the country's potential growth. I contend that the greatest stumbling block to South Africa reaching its true potential is the current crop of politicians. The business community - and indeed many thousand of ordinary South Africans - are working long and hard to move us all forward but it is the politicians who, as these people take a step forward, grab the back of their shirts and pull them back. It is the politicians who are applying the brakes to this truck called South Africa and many feel that the truck is going downhill. The problem here is that South Africa doesn't have many sophisticated braking aids such as retarders and, as we all know, continual application of the service brakes on a downhill can result in overheating and brake fade with a resultant runaway truck. My plea to our politicians is to please sort out your rubbish and let's get this truck moving. Let's get back to work growing this country instead of holding it back. South Africa deserves so much more than it is getting from the politicians of the day.
And now, let's hold hands as a nation with President Mbeki as we put aside all this awful stuff and shout loud for our boys in their bid to win the World Cup. President Mbeki, we're all in this together for this weekend. Please - whether we win or lose - let's use this unifying moment to stay together as a nation beyond the game. Viva South Africa, Viva!
Patrick O'Leary
Managing Editor
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