Dear ANC...

To Whom It May Concern:

I have a serious problem with your organization, as well as a large majority of your members. I fear you have all lost total sight of what the ANC is supposed to be, the ANC that Nelson Mandela envisioned. Allow me to elaborate...

Firstly, you guys have got to get off the blame train. Apartheid was a terrible thing, it really was, but it’s long gone. The fact that we still hear about it daily in the press, 17 years on since we became a democracy, shows me that it is the ANC who does not want to let the legacy of apartheid die. Why I don’t know, a new generation is emerging, a generation that knows nothing about apartheid, and instead of equipping them with the self-belief that they can make it, that they can be successful, you are constantly reminding them of the past, and in doing so instilling a sense of belief that they are still oppressed. It was Steve Biko who believed that the apartheid government’s greatest strength was leading your people to believe that they were inferior to the white man. And as such, these people just accepted their circumstances and surroundings. Surely you should be trying to eradicate that and make your people believe that with education, goals, and willpower, anything is possible. Instead, with these constant rants of racism and buck-passing from your officials, you are subconsciously making the poor believe that failure is ok, because you can always blame someone else. Take your life in your own hands and a terrible thing happens: No one to blame but yourself! Imagine every citizen in this country shared that mentality. Imagine the possibilities...

And I’m sure the thinking at this point in this letter is “oh just another white boy scared of losing his privileges”. Well no, I may be white, but I don’t care about race, I care about facts. And the facts are, this country is at a tipping point, and can go either way at this stage. The world’s economy is changing, the superpowers of the past will no longer be the superpowers of the future, there are opportunities for emerging markets to really establish themselves as the new superpowers. Riding off the back of a successful world cup, we have this opportunity. But yet, you allow talk of nationalization? You know that instead of increasing international investment in this country, it is down 46%? Yes, forty-six percent. And why is that? Well, simple really. No one wants to invest in a country where there is even a thought of nationalization. It has not worked anywhere else in the world, even in countries where they had competent people in government. The government gets richer, the poor get poorer... but sadly, many of your voters remain uneducated and will believe whatever you tell them (why was the education budget in the Eastern Cape, an ANC stronghold, cut? Makes you wonder). Who is it that you really care about? The people of South Africa, or the man you see in the mirror every morning inside your multi-million rand home? I stand to be corrected, but the mining industry accounts for around 20% of the country’s economy. Through nationalization, mines will slowly disappear through mismanagement, thousands will lose their jobs, Eskom will run short of raw materials, more people will lose their jobs, electricity will become a luxury item, and the poor will suffer even more. That is just one of example of what I can assure you will happen. Don’t believe me? Have a look at history. This country does not need an economic revolution like some palooka’s (Read: Julius Malema) believe. This country needs proper, and most importantly, selfless governance. There is no quick fix, the only way the poor will become less poor is through job creation, and job creation comes about through international investment.

Ban workers unions. They cost the economy millions, even billions, every year through their stupid and unreasonable demands. Look at the way they encourage their members to behave, it’s savage and disgusting, and they use their democratic right to strike as an excuse to act that way. I like to have a dig at the English as much as anyone, but seriously? Take the plank out of your own eye before... well, you know the rest.

And lastly, corruption. Come now, we all know how bad it is. We all know just about every ANC official is or has been involved in corruption at some point. Imagine how many more millions of Rands to feed the poor would be available. Eradicate it, and eradicate the twats who call for nationalization but gain millions through corrupt privatization of governmental departments. The time is now, it is on you. This country could become a superpower, but it could just as easily become another Zimbabwe unless serious responsibility starts being shown. It doesn’t help blaming the past or talking about what needs to change. “I must do something” always solves more problems than “something must be done”.

Responsibility responsibility responsibility. Own it. That’s what we as a nation are asking for. If you want children to keep their feet on the ground, put some responsibility on their shoulders. Lead them by example, lead us all by example. As a nation whose future hangs in the balance, it’s our only hope...