Julius Malema & The Great Nationalisation Debate

Hey! Guess What? The Fat Offensive Guy Is Singing.... (Groan)

Once again the inauspicious personality of Mr Julius Malema has raised it's ugly head (So to speak) and created a furore about the so called need to nationalise the mines in South Africa... This coming from a self-obsessed loud-mouth with more than an a acceptable paid stake in various mining, manufacturing, BEE and numerous other business enterprises, entities or companies! The Man makes a "killing" out of his business connections: So why would he want to nationalise these cash cows; except if he had something to gain financially from it!

The one fact that everyone still seems to forget is that nationalisation has never worked no matter were it has been implemented (Then USSR; ZIMBABWE; VENEZUELA; etc...). The first thing that happens is that the specific industry deteriorates to the point of total collapse because of rampant incompetance and indemic corruption. Then the workers go on strike because they can't survive on being paid peanuts and the economy takes a nosedive, due to the "Public Sector Strikes" - leaving the country on it's collective knees...

There are already several state-owned monopolies that are trembling in an effort to stay vertical and remain afloat financially (SABC; ESKOM; TELKOM; SA AIRLINES; HEALTH DEPARTMENT; etc...). Let's have a look at the Trail of Carnage:

1. SABC (South African Broadcasting Corporation)

This monopoly is sadly out of date and has major financial and leadership crisis, where it can't pay its bills even though its directors earn mega-salaries and its workers frequently complain about their wages. The majority of its programs are two to three years old and still get repeated every month in the TV schedule, while the management struggles to convince the public to pay their TV licences for programming that they have seen several times before. This is because the program providers refuse to provide new material until the old episodes are paid for (not surprising really) and, shockingly, the SABC has not paid all of the royalties for the international material either.

2. ESKOM (South African Electrical Supplier)

This Monopoly is woefully mismanaged, even though the CEO is earning 13 million Rand a year in salary, without bonusses and they have to beg the World Bank to lend them money to build power-plants just so that the country is not plunged into darkness. Their workers are always threatening to strike and the Government continues to complain about a shortage of skilled workers...

3. TELKOM

This is the monopoly that overcharges the average citizen and continues to complain about copper-thieves being the cause for the poor service to the nation. Their infrastructure dates back from the Apartheid Era and their CEO earns more than the State President. They chrage a monthly rental of R40 for the phone receiver in excess of the customer's actual phone bill and charge a basic call rate of 80c per minute or part thereof, which is scandalous and practically unique of the world. Then they routinely complain about loosing customers to Cellphone companies, who dont charge rental fees and they have several callrates for the customer to choose from...

4. SA AIRLINES

This Monopoly is nearly bankrupt and its workers are demanding higher wages, even though the system is plagued by corruption and mismanagement to the point of complete ludicrousness. Their spokesperson and their board of directors are repeatedly hauled in by Parliament to explain all of the problems and errors that occur in the operation of the monopoly. Their fleet of airplanes is rapidly ageing and already there are reports surfacing of equipment failure and malfunction due to poor service schedules, but the board of directors and the CEO have implicitly prevented the necessary maintenace because of cost-cutting policies... They have changed CEOs a few times alreadyover the last couple of years, even though the CEOs have received large bonusses and enormous "golden handshakes" that will allow these fatcats to never have to work again.

5. HEALTH DEPARTMENT

This Government Department is in a complete shambles, as there are not enough medicines and equipment available at most of the local hospitals and, as well, the department is suffering large-scale staff shortages, because of qualified nurses and doctors being lured overseas by foreign countries, who offer a better living wage and work conditions. The department is routinely demoted in the world rankings, because of wholesale corruoption and nepotism, as well as horrible conditions and ageing infrastructure. All this while the Government ministers earn millions of Rands in salaries and still spend more millions on hotel bills and luxurious cars at the taxpayers expense.

The real problem is the antiquated and ineffectual implementation of Affrimative Action over the last 15 years, which has done absolutely nothing to redress the inequalities in employement. Despite the fact that many people have advocated the implentation of Affirmative Skills Development to solve the obstacles that all South Africans are facing.

So go ahead, ANC... If they nationalise the mines the workers will be roiting on the streets and the industry will be on its knees in five to ten years guaranteed!