Senior economists this week warned of a recession looming on the horizon. This is said to hit South Africa early next year and the first signs of this is already visible.
Kumba announced that it was going to close down its mine in Thabazimbi meaning that 1900 people will be left unemployed. We remember the terrible situation our people had to face during the strike in Rustenburg last year. In a town such as Thabazimbi, where the mining industry is the backbone of the local economy, this would mean a difficult time for many families. Taken into account that unemployment is already a crisis and these miners have to face racially based labour legislation such as Affirmative Action and BBBEE, finding new employment is going to be a huge problem. Front National will do all we can to support.
Apart from that it was announced today that Eskom sent an email to 39000 employees informing them that there will be no bonuses or salary increases this year. Traditionally Eskom increased salaries in July. This means that all Eskom employees will have to face the recession, increasing fuel prices and food prices with last year’s salary in the pocket. To add to this calamity, there is already talks of a countrywide strike. If the people, who are already struggling to keep the country’s failing power supply units running, now goes on strike we might just sit with that much discussed full power blackout.
This is bleak picture. And this is, alas the picture of the New South Africa. Let us therefore sit down and talk hard lines here: Forget about voting in a new government. There is no opposition remotely close to the ANC – the DA stands at around 26% support. The DA, nor any other party, can solve this mess any longer anyway. There is a belief in a “mythical leader” which will stand forward and solve everything overnight. That is grabbing at straws. Let us be realistic. The only solution for this pathetic situation is to create awareness about our plight all over the world and, along with that, create awareness of our right and our urge to self-determination.
And yes, there is the tedious old objection of “ The world cares nothing about us, they forced us into this mess.” Well, as much as South Africa have changed over 20 years, so has the world. Let us, for once, cast our eyes a bit further afield and see what is happening in the rest of the world. But nobody can and will try to help us if
1) we don’t inform them and
2) we don’t get off our own behinds and take to the streets and so our bit.
There is no other way. All this talk of finding solutions through civil resistance and civil rights movements is nothing but wishful thinking. A minority of less than 4 million people, already marginalized by law, will make no impact. We are merely wasting time which we don’t have.
The only solution lies in the international political process by giving a mandate for the call to recognition of our right to liberty and self-determination. All other attempts, in a line from the movie Titanic, “…will buy us time, but minutes only…”
Daniel Lötter
Front National South Africa
Information Department
South Africa Today – South Africa News
