Peter Bruce’s most recent column was a strong piece — except in his diagnosis of the problem (“Hello, useless ANC. I phoned Moderna and they have vaccines for us,” January 20).
It’s not a lack of confidence or incompetence that explains the vaccine debacle — at least not alone. Much of the problem is ideological. President Cyril Ramaphosa might be “asleep at the wheel”, but around him the ANC has deepened its loathing for Western democracies and private enterprise. Add those two together and nothing is despised more than private pharmaceutical firms in those democracies.
The bulk of the senior leadership in government and the ANC would literally rather die (or see South Africans die) than turn to Western private sector pharmaceutical firms for help.
Frans Cronje
Institute of Race Relations
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