TRANSFORMATION
Greedy leaders splash around in pool of riches while majority wilt
Water — particularly who has the power to distribute it — provides a snapshot of SA’s political corruption, writes Mike Muller
I look at the world through the lens of water. And what a useful focus it provides. Consider SA’s recent concerns about radical economic transformation. We certainly need it, but the slogan means different things to different people. We can probably agree that too few South Africans have jobs or other ways to earn a decent livelihood. Too much wealth is concentrated in too few hands. And too much power, in the hands of a few, is being used to accumulate more wealth instead of taking action to benefit the often marginalised majority. Water offers us some insights into what should be done differently to achieve real radical economic transformation. Start with the economy. No productive activities can happen without water. The big economy is important. We need to keep the farms, factories and mines going because they produce what is needed for a reasonable quality of life or the foreign exchange to buy what we cannot make or grow ourselves. Water for our farmers is important too. If we...
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