Fair Politics

Narrowing the gap between rich and poor should start at the very top, with the politicians who up to now considered themselves as separate from those who voted them into those positions. .

Some politicians behave as if they can walk on water while “the people” are no better than pigs rolling in mud.
We can see that in the way their million rand vehicles are being driven with no consequences for road rules and the deaths caused by disposing of those who may be blocking their path.

Some African politicians give the impression that to them “the people”, sometimes referred to as “rate payers”, “voters”, “tax payers”, “previously (20 years ago) disadvantaged” or “the underprivileged”, depending on what they need to milk from them, are merely tools to furnish their popularity and riches.

Most African politicians are counted among the highest paid politicians in the world.
If measured by the wealth of their economies, they may emerge as the wealthiest on the globe.

It is time that politicians stop blaming the past for the state they are in.
If the past was to blame, one should be able to see a decrease in poverty and suffering after twenty years of freedom in countries like South Africa and Zimbabwe.

In twenty years a whole generation reached maturity and all that we can see is more fighting, more crime, more poverty, a collapse of services and politicians together with a hand full of often related BEE partners and crime lords living in luxury that is beyond the imagination of the average African citizen.

If some citizens can enjoy one meal at a restaurant that costs more as the total pay packet that another person will earn in five years (or in some cases a life-time) then there must be a rotten apple in the bag.

One of the missions of both Jacob Zuma and Helen Ziller is to make those in power accountable for their areas of leadership.

We can only hope they succeed and that they rethink the mode of wealth distribution in the country, including their own.

It is impossible to create a sustainable living by multiplying zero by X. One needs to subtract the zeros from those who have millions. Wealth need to flow from those at the very top - not from the middle classes who managed to get there by hardship.

Taxing the average working citizen will just push him to the brink of unemployment.
Taxing his home will make him homeless. Over charging him for medical services may kill him.

By taking from the very rich, will at the worst force him into a comfortable middle class.
This will be the best way to level the playing fields.

We need to remove glut, starting by those who consider themselves (or should consider themselves) as role models.

Nuclear Power for Electricity

22 June 2007
In Africa it is not a question whether nuclear power is cheaper, more effective or more environmental friendly source of electricity. It is a question of whether the expertise and dedication exists to maintain such an operation. Not so long ago a loose bolt was found in one of the reactors at a nuclear power plant. Everyone agreed that such a potential disaster should never have happened. This very nuclear power plant wants to extend its capacity to cope with the increasing demand for electricity. To add to the foolishness of the whole scenario, of the property developers are putting pressure on the government concerned to allow for development within the safety zone. In Africa money is power. Money or an argument of more jobs or homes can buy almost anything. Decisions are often made without considering the long term or global impact.

Whether to use nuclear power or not in any African country can only be safe when all the African countries are capable of running such an operation.

The question is can nuclear power be regarded as a safe and cleaner source of electricity in on the African continent? Even if one country has the expertise discipline to run such an operation, there is the danger of a copycat reaction from less capable countries. The ripple effect of what happens in one continent soon spread to other African continents. The watchdog of the world will only be able to hold power over African countries while the money is flowing in.

It is so easy for wars, mass strike action and internal cleavages to interfere in the running of operations. Global long-term solutions regarding potentially dangerous technologies need to be implemented.

A "Chernobyl" in Africa will affect the whole world climate. It is also true that first world technologies will be utilised by third world countries if it is a cheaper solution, often regardless of the consequences.

If it is safe, cheap and reliable electrical power the third world needs, perhaps the first world should see that they get it for the sake of the global climate.