LETTER: Future generations will find answers in Business Day's August 26 edition

If future generations of South Africans are curious as to how our country tumbled so rapidly into a confused, chaotic, corrupt, failing state after an inspired transition to democracy in 1994, they should be given a print copy of Business Day from August 26, 2021 so they may gain some insight and understanding.

In it, they would sadly read that the nation’s trust and confidence in our politicians and state bodies, including parliament, the courts, the public protector and state-owned enterprises are at a historic low (“Trust in SA politicians and state bodies at historic low, survey shows”, August 25).

This will hardly seem surprising given that a newly appointed leader of our legislature is facing allegations of corruption, incompetence and misuse of state resources, the public protector is being investigated for perjury, and a high court judge is about to be impeached (“Public protector poised for scrutiny over claimed perjury” and “JSC finds Hlophe must be impeached after 13-year saga linked to Zuma”, August 25).

They would read of the neglect and obstruction by the ANC-led government of a 10-year-old, viable and well contrived National Development Plan, which, if implemented, could have reversed our nation's fortunes. (“The three horsemen of SA’s apocalypse presided over by useless deployees”, August 25).

They would be incredulous at the need for a corporate adviser to state the obvious and write so explicitly, persuasively and eruditely about the importance of foreign direct investment, something the ANC-led government either underestimates or deems ideologically unnecessary and has no meaningful policies to achieve (“Trash anything that hinders foreign direct investment”, August 25).

On the contrary, they would read about how the ANC believes its so-called policy of localisation will be the greatest restorer of economic health to our country (“SA is dancing the tango at the ballet with its localisation plan”, August 25). It’s akin to giving someone an aspirin to treat gangrene.

If given a copy of the DA’s Economic Justice Policy 2020 they would have difficulty understanding how it could be said the country's main opposition party has no economic vision or policy (“Forget about nationalism, John Steenhuisen, it’s the economy...", August 25). They might wonder exactly what more detail Peter Bruce wants from the DA, as opposed to what he is getting from the ANC or other parties in this regard, if anything at all.

Most farcical of all they would read how Operation Vulindlela, purportedly created to unblock economic growth constraints, including the allocation of work permits, is confronted by a home affairs recommendation that our country is faced with a critical shortage of camp site managers, web designers and chefs (“Unblocking skilled immigration is a priority for Operation Vulindlela”, August 25).

Would those future generations laugh or cry? I suggest the latter given their insight and disappointment at how a promising future for them was literally destroyed by the greed, stupidity, carelessness and irresponsibility of their forebears.

David Gant, Kenilworth

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