ANC succeeded in making SA African

THOUGH Africa was the cradle of civilisation, it did not shine as a leading continent. It was known as the dark continent. Steeped in tradition, culture and patriarchy, the people led a laidback life of contentment, counting their wealth in cattle, a little subsistence farming and hunting.

When the white settlers arrived, they went about “civilising” the blacks by imposing their religion and Western lifestyle and culture on them.

When the ANC came to power, euphoria gripped the country. At last, the people were free. Surely, a black government ought to be better than the apartheid government? The ANC embarked on a grand policy of change. But the changes were not bread and butter issues; they were mainly cosmetic.

The ANC felt it had capable men and women in its ranks to run the cities and parastatals. So cadres with no qualifications, skills, expertise or experience were deployed to all government and public institutions to carry out this transformation. The result? The public service soon became riddled with corruption, maladministration and mismanagement.

Then it indulged in some window dressing, renaming towns and streets. What better way to wipe out the colonial past than topple the colonial relics and rename streets and towns in honour of their heroes?.

Almost overnight, a bling, new middle-class arose. They had no patience; they wanted it now! With a cell phone in one hand and a Kentucky in the other, they looted the public coffers, struck lucrative government deals and enriched themselves, their families and friends at the expense of the poor.

To keep infrastructure functioning at its optimum level and a city spick and span required time and effort. It was easier to sit back and allow things to slide and go to go to rack and ruin. Trains ran late or never ran at all. Trucks and buses were torched, shopping malls and businesses looted, and even parliament went up in flames. Litter decorated the streets, towns ran out of water, and sewage flowed on the streets. Eskom, one of the biggest power utilities in the world built by apartheid, was plundered, and the country plunged into darkness in the midst of winter.

And thus, it came to pass that our once-proud cities lost their lustre and became drab and dull African cities. Ah, this was more like Zimbabwe, Mozambique – like Africa! Now the ANC cadres can put up their feet in their plush offices, lick their chicken and admire their proud work.