Cry the beloved country

Cry the beloved country

I foresee tough times ahead of us. South Africa is facing innumerable challenges for the year 2008.

One fundamental challenge is the doubtful calibre of leadership elected at the Polokwane Conference of the ruling liberation movement the African National Congress (ANC) in December 2007.

Just a month after their eventful election the national executive committee members of the ANC have attacked the judiciary and National Prosecuting Authority (NPA). Their contention is that the judiciary is not partial and possibly Jacob Zuma might not get a fair trial.

Deputy Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court Dikgang Moseneke was the latest causality of this unwarranted vitriol directed at the judiciary. But the ANC has since retracted its statement after a meeting with Deputy Chief Justice Moseneke.

The former President of the same Constitutional Court Justice Arthur Chaskalson and human rights lawyer George Bizos had to defend the independence of the judiciary to ensure that politicians don't rubbish judges.

How can we, ordinary law-abiding citizens, have confidence in the administration of justices and respect judges if our leaders attack them and cast doubt on their professional independence and impartiality?

Are the attacks a deliberate attempt to discredit the judiciary and the prosecuting authority before the appeal case of ANC President Jacob Zuma is heard in the Constitutional Court in March? The appeal from the Supreme Court of Appeal relate to the search and seizure operations by the Scorpions at Zuma's residence and his lawyers' offices.

An indictment has already been served on Zuma to appear in the Pietermaritzburg High Court for corruption, fraud, racketeering, and tax evasion in August this year. It is probable that the attacks are aimed at creating an impression that the NPA and judiciary are not going to be impartial and that Zuma will therefore not get a fair trial.

We are all equal before the law and everyone is presumed innocent until proven guilty. It is thus important that each and every accused must be afforded an opportunity to prove his innocence. This is what Zuma must get and it will be in the best interests of the country for politicians to stay out of the whole process.

On the issue of the Directorate of Special Operations (Scorpions), the NPAs investigation arm, the ANC's December conference resolved that the unit be integrated into the South African Police Service (SAPS). This is because the Scorpions have been audacious in their pursuit of corruption by the ruling class and their patrons. It is also blamed for Zuma's woes.

The planned integration must happen by June. The whole issue of doing away with the Scorpions as an independent investigation unit has raised the ire of opposition parties that strongly believe that the Scorpions should not be disbanded. They argue that it is necessary to retain the unit as a means to help fight white-collar crime and corruption by the top politicians and police members.

With the year in its infancy, we look set to dig deeper into our already empty pockets. The price of bread has gone up by 40 cents. A shop in my area has hiked the price by 60 cents and their loaf costs an exorbitant R6.60.

Our woes don’t stop here. They will possibly continue right through the year. Over the past 18 months interest rates have been hiked up more than I can count and some analysts predict that they will rise this year as the Reserve Bank tries to curb inflation.

This has had a negative impact on the household income of many South Africans who are struggling to make ends meet.

The petrol price is set to increase by 15-20 cents next month. And when the cost of petrol goes up, food prices go up. Taxi fares will also go up and this will be a burden for us as we will have to fork out more for our traveling expenses to work and fro.

The price of Brent crude oil, which climbed to a high of $96 a barrel, is likely to reach $100 before the end of June, I suppose. This will of course have negative repercussions for us and the whole world.

What is lamentable is that the poor, the ordinary man on the street, is going to suffer most. The wages that we get now are not enough, and it looks as if we are going to find it difficult to eke out an existence.

Another issue that is of concern is the electricity supply. The electricity supply commission (Eskom) has hiked tariffs by 14% but consumers will start to feel the pinch in July when local municipalities raise their electricity charges.

Despite the increase in the price of electricity, most parts of the country are experiencing load-shedding (electricity cuts) as Eskom maintains that there are power supply shortages and these will continue for the next five years. As a result we need to save electricity and also consider alternative sources of power.

With the winter not in the far too distant future, I think the load shedding means that one must brace himself for a cold, dark winter.

The year 2008 is going to be a gloomy, cold and tough year. Folks, let us keep the torch of hope alive and brace ourselves for the year of the rat.