Neil de Beer is the president of the Invest Fund Africa.
By Neil de Beer
There can be no doubt that it seems if South Africa was a forest; there are so many fires raging and new ones flaring up.
One cannot but notice that all political parties, big and small, are starting the 2024 election journey with full force.
The raging Eskom load shedding melt-down and daily expose of corruption must be the hottest fires of them all for a crumbling ANC.
It would seem as if the citizens of Mzansi have become numb and deaf to President Ramaphosa’s mantra of hope and intervention.
The so-called “ family meetings“ held by the president in lockdown period are now nowhere to be seen as level 6 power cuts become a reality.
The huge collapse of the DA-led coalition in Johannesburg metro has left parties like the UIM, ASA, FF+, ACDP and IFP totally stunned and now facing the return of an ANC coalition. A possible future system of coalition government always hedged on this metro coalition being a success.
Truth of the matter, all of the smaller and older parties ended up being squashed in the middle, with a final debate between the PA and DA. The final outcome was that the PA rejected the offers made by the DA and a claim of sure arrogance from the DA towards the PA and counter-claims of extortion and criminal mindset from DA to the PA.
If this is the future of coalition parties’ attempt to collectively govern, there is no doubt that SA is in trouble. There is also no doubt that clear battle lines are being drawn in the soil.
These battle lines seemingly either with the ANC or with the DA. It makes the 2024 elections even more interesting and critical.
With all of this fire swelling up, we have the EFF’s Julius Malema grandstanding and bullying his way to his moment in the sun. Absolutely not lacking in typical Malema rhetoric, Julius insults everyone and, yes, calls for a national March 20 shutdown. Not only does he demand that schools, universities, businesses and transport shut down, but, in true Malema fashion, he threatens state and law enforcement agencies with ultimatums if they try to stop the EFF.
As if this country needs more pressure or mayhem. The journey for South Africans, is unfolding to be a very rough ride, and with so many parties adding fuel to the fire, one can but pray that sanity will prevail!
Neil de Beer is an African geopolitical advisor, chairman of Investment Fund Africa and president of the United Independent Movement.
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