A Goal, Especially When You Have No Track Record of Making Goals, is Not an Economic Growth Path!

I am astonished at the way Zuma's announcement of a goal is being hailed as a step foward in economic development!

from: Eyewitness News
(click image for full story online)

When a government and party with no record for implementation launches it's new economic strategy with an astonishingly stiff goal of 5 million jobs (I believe they have only managed a loss of some million jobs in their 15 years of trying) one has to be totally skeptical.

Of course South Africa needs 5 million new jobs, more in fact, but just to set sensible goals and hope to reach them is not a way to create jobs - its just a Strategy of Hope! I know because I've been there in business and it just doesn't work!

IOL's Front Page Story on Zuma and Malema Inexpertly Defaced!

 

Zuma Survives and Sells Organisational Renewal - But Will He Be Able To Do It?

Looks Like Zuma & His Party Leaders have succeeded in retaining power and getting buy in for an "organisational renewal" of the ANC which seems to address many of the bad habits that have developed as they enjoyed power.

from: IOL
(click image for full story online)

But will he be able to make it happen? After all at the start of his term he committed to creating jobs and improving public services, both of which are worsening rather than improving!

ANCYL Prime Target in Zuma's Speech!

They have been getting away with it for too long and Zuma has now responded to Vavi demands about dealing with the boys! Malema, maybe expecting it after sneeking in late and sitting at the back like a naughty schoolboy!

from: Sowetan Live
(click image for full story online)

"We have noted some regrettable incidents, particularly relating to the ANC Youth League conference, which are unacceptable and need to be dealt with," Zuma said.

Zuma called for the reintroduction of "revolutionary discipline" in the ANC to strengthen the fibre and existence of the party ... to deal with "all sorts of opportunistic tendencies".

"In the passage of time, all liberation movements face such a test and had to deal with all sorts of opportunistic tendencies." An organisation which failed to deal with such tendencies and tests would vanish.

Zuma Facing Payback Time and Faltering!

It was always clear that Zuma had got power by promising much that what he would not be able to deliver. Now that he can't honour those promises his presidency is faltering and he's trying to show strength.

from: Mail & Gaurdian
(click image for full story online)

Is Vavi Looking to His Own Future?

Not long ago Vavi was conciliatory, saying that he seriously believed that government could not afford more than it was offering. Now he's going to "bring the economy to a halt".

from: iAfrica
(click image for full story online)

He even seems to be saying that he will not support a second term for Zuma and regretting his role in brining Zuma to power.

So what sits behind this change of position - pressure or personal goals?

What Can ANC Claim About The Succesful World Cup? - Patricia de Lille was Wrong!

At the DA's congress Patricia de Lille, in identifying the need for the Government to start delivering, implied that the ANC had succeeded in delivering on the World Cup.

The ANC had missed their service delivery targets for many years, but suddenly it had managed to organise the World Cup, she said.

(click the image to open website)

Whether government should claim that for themselves is debatable - FIFA surely managed everything as was clear from all reports. Without FIFA continually forcing the issue its my contention that it would have been very different.

Is that not after all what is wrong with the current actions - everyone knows we need to create jobs and eliminate poverty! Just read your RDP or ask Jay Naidoo. But the government is incapable of converting money consumption into outputs!

This inability to implement is aggrivated by what de Lille sees:

"The problems are often a result of poor governance and greedy leaders. President Jacob Zuma is in the media for all the wrong reasons and in the meantime service delivery protests are on the increase.

"The real source of poverty is ANC corruption and greed."

After 440 Days Zuma Needs To Separate Minister Fighting About Whose Draft Policy Needs to be Developed

Here after almost a year and a half no economic policy document and ministers scrapping, while the poor and unemployed wait. Again is it just Zuma's inability to run government or does he owe too much to too many?

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What happened

President Jacob Zuma prevented a potentially explosive clash between his economic cluster ministers, triggered by the long-standing feud of who is in charge of driving the economic growth path.

At the cabinet lekgotla this week, the old differences between Economic Development Minister Ebrahim Patel and Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan, resurfaced, until Zuma suggested a special cabinet meeting to sort out the economic roadmap.

Briefing reporters after the lekgotla, Zuma admitted that the economic growth path issue had to be shelved, but he gave no reasons.

And Why The Lack of Progress

Asked whether the Thabo Mbeki administration's programme would be abandoned, Minister in the Presidency Collins Chabane said, "This is no carbon copy of the other programme".

A senior ANC official said the Zuma administration behaved as if it "just took over" from a different party in the 2009 general elections.

But academic Mashupye Maserumule, writing in The Zuma Administration, Critical Challenges, warned "it would be dangerous for the Zuma administration to consolidate the Mbeki administration's strategic trajectory in the pursuit of a developmental state agenda".

"The Zuma administration... should carve a strategic governance niche within which to embed its new policy orientation.

 

This Is Exactly What Zuma Was Saying Just Over 440 Days Ago!

When he entered office many of us were impressed by the apparent determination of Zuma to get things done! But here we are with just the same stories and no signs of progress!

(click the image to open website)

Is it that he just doesn't have it and owes too many people too much or is it the hugh inertial of trying to push a civil service reveling in their new found chance to serve them selves and simply ignoring the people they should be serving.

 

A Party and a Prayer To Celebrate SA's Success in Staging The World Cup.

I am proud that a fantastic World Cup took place in South Africa!

I don't agree with Zuma's ideas of what we should do now!

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If there is to be a prayer lets not forget to thank FIFA for pushing very hard to get us to succeed. Also lets please stop the celebrations and get down to some serious work now!

Finally lets not drag the rest of Africa into our success - let us see Zimbabwe or Somali organise anything!

 

ANC Youth Leaugue Humbly Apologises!

So within a couple of days the ANCYL says it hasn't thought it through properly and apologises humbly.

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The Youth League said it respected the "styles" each minister applied when executing his or her duties. It also accepted criticism from the ANC

 

How well does the Government use South Africa's wealth? Not at all!

The diagram below from Gapminder shows that generally the richer a country is (the horizontal axis is the GNP, a measure of per capita income) the higher the life expectancy. This presumably because people live better, have a better environment and get better health care through income effectively spent by the government.

(click the image to open website)

With a high GDP one expects a country to have a good life expectancy, but South Africa's is around where Angola is and has a life expectancy of something like a third less than many other countries at the same GNP level. Conversely SA's life expectancy is similar to that of Zimbabwe which has a GDP only a 25th of South Africa's.

So I conclude the Zuma government and its predecessors has not given us a good health return on our wealth, maybe because too much leaks through corruption and the expenditure is not efficient.

 

Sack the Minister Because He Wasn't at Enough Matches!

Yes, the ANCYL wan't Zuma to sack Minister of Sport Stofile, because he was not in the limelight enough. Maybe its those members of government who were at too many matches on tax payers money who need to be looked at!

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Maybe its even deeper and reflects the overpowering ego of African politicians who think the top man is important and not those who do the job!

 

More Spent Defending Selebe Than Supporting Young Entrepreneurs!

After his recent rant about how the youth were involved in burning public property, President Zuma went on to show how well his ANC government was looking after the youth through the NYDA which had made more than R3-million worth of loans to small and medium enterprises.

(click the
image to open website)

There we have the problem - South Africa spends many times more (R 10.7 million in Zuma's case apparently) defending public servants who have been charged with corruption. Thats not to say the lawyers aren't making debatable livings out of these cases.

The sad part of the story is the many young people who are unable to move forward!

 

Zuma Can't Understand Those Who Brought Him To Power!

It doesn't take a rocket scientist, if you and your sidekicks are talking about machine guns and killing farmers, your supporters will also use violent means. If you can't deliver on your promises they will turn on you!

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Also unless you have a short memory it will look rather like what the protestors were doing under the ANC's direction to make SA ungovernable!

 

This About Sums up Zumaland! - Presidents Zuma's Response to DA "charges".

Its hard for me to believe this but here is why President Zuma says he can't be charged by the DA - although the DA are only applying to have the dropping of charges investigated.

(click the image to open website)

• It would prevent him from doing his job properly - is he going such a good job anyway?
• Both domestic and international relations would take a knock - if he were kept out of his own domestic relations it would benefit everyone and his international relationships were exposed on his UK visit.
• The country would face untold embarrassment, particularly with the world's eyes on South Africa during the 2010 FIFA World Cup - we are already totally embarrassed.
• The NPA says that state resources should be put to use on "far more important matters" - none important than clearing the country's President? they seem to be floundering anyway!

If You Flaunt It Its Not Very Private!

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Hoping Zuma's Dignified Private Life Doesn't Distract From The World Cup!

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Now The Tribal Thing Seems to be Making a Comeback

No so long ago people of different tribes resorted to "faction fights" to sort our disagreements. Let us hope that the current deepening of tribal differences does not escalate and that in fact they are taken out of politics!

So What Was The Consensus on Zuma's 100 Days

The post has been quite as everyone has been having their say on President Zuma's 100 days. There were 155 news articles found by GOOGLE so adding to this has little benefit.

The consensus on President Zuma's 100 days seems to be that:

• he is getting people on his side using a concilitory and warm approach
  
• some of his appointments/nominations are good some not so good
  
• there is a danger he is moving towards more power in the ANC
  
• his plans outweigh the actions
  
• there seem to be difficulties in election promises

The worry is - will the power and comforting strength illustrated by the photo continue or will things get out of control as Zuma finds he can't control organisations like COSATO, ANCYL, Taxi Ownere's. There is then a risk that the party reverts to protective actions and more vicious street actions as already revealed by supporters.