Much was made of the Reserve Bank suspending VBS Mutual Bank, including allegations that this was anti-black et cetera. The latest news holds that a material portion of the deposits at this bank cannot be verified. If this is true the Reserve Bank may well have saved the bacon of a number of municipalities: possibly an apology, even thanks, might be proper.
Recently a child was run over by a car in Chatsworth. This led to the crowd, that had gathered at the scene, removing boats, belonging to a nearby resident, burning them and stoning cars. Irrational but understandable, given that seemingly only violence, as a form of protest, attracts attention. This slide in the efficacy and consequently the mode of protest is to be laid at the door of politicians who don’t listen to their constituency; which, in turn, is attributable to our voting system.
Most Natalians (if I may use the old term) are aware of the indenture system which had brought a great many Indians to the then Natal. I had always assumed this be a system visited by the British upon Indians only. I was given a copy of Ferguson’s Empire for Christmas. Ferguson explains that some 800,000 Englishmen were imported into the Caribbean as cane estate labourers by their countrymen on an indenture system. In fact, when the British ran out of takers owing to the high death rates brought about by tropical disease, slavery was adopted to keep those highly profitable estates going. The British didn’t discriminate; it was just what went down in those days.
Inciting another to a crime is punishable. Yet the incitement by BLF and EFF leaders to “re-occupy” land, often accompanied by violence, is ignored. One suspects that the reason for this is that our political mainstream condones the sentiments behind such actions. Despite efforts to address our housing backlog, it is said that some 2.1 million units need to be built to accommodate all. If we were able to provide housing for all, would land repossession be the issue that it has become?
A political commentator recently described the EFF as an authoritarian populist and fascist organisation. Few of us really understand what fascism means and it may behove us to look this up again.
I confess to having revelled in the ANC’s discomfort surrounding supporting Mr Zuma in his court appearances. If that organisation does not support Mr Zuma it may well lose a substantial following in KZN. If it does support him and that worthy is found guilty of the charges, the ANC might find itself in the position of having supported criminality in its own ranks. Having said this, the DA has a similar problem with Ms De Lille. Both deserved.