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Johannesburg - South Africa is not doing well, as President Jacob Zuma recently claimed, as major institutions are in crisis, former Cosatu general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi said on Friday.
Zuma was in denial and education, healthcare, the National Prosecuting Authority, Eskom, the police, and the SABC were failing, he told a civil society conference on the electricity crisis.
"This is outrageous denialism. Apart from the economic catastrophe, we see the disintegration of important institutions of the state."
He quoted from Zuma’s speech in Parliament on May 26 during the presidency’s budget vote, in which he said that, despite challenges, South Africa was doing “very well”.
“Our institutions are strong and sound. All the arms of the state are functioning effectively - the executive, Parliament, and the judiciary. This means that our hard-won democracy is safe,” he quoted from Zuma’s speech.
"Liar," one man in the audience said loudly, agreeing with Vavi.
Government negligence?
As examples of the rot, Vavi mentioned unemployment, high school dropout rates, medicine shortages, the recent departure of Mxolisi Nxasana as National Prosecuting Authority head and suspensions at the SA Revenue Service and the SABC.
“The SABC is under the leadership of somebody who has never been in any high school or got any training to occupy the position. What I’m saying will never see the light of day,” he said, addressing a camerawoman filming him.
Turning to Eskom, he called for an “alternative workers and community agenda for sorting out the electricity mess”.
“If we do not urgently address this question now it will already be too late tomorrow. The country will rapidly drift into long hours of darkness and load shedding.”
Eskom could not be allowed to be “broken up” and privatised, and become a carcass for the “capitalist hyena”.
He called for a judicial inquiry to look into the electricity crisis.
It had to look at the apparent mismanagement and corruption within Eskom, the cost and time overruns for the Medupi and Kusile power stations, and the bonuses paid to Eskom directors and executives.
“We want an inclusive approach. What went wrong? Is it apartheid as the president claims, or is it gross negligence by the government?” he asked.
