For the first time in my three score and one years of living in this country I have thought that, if I were 20 years younger, I would be packing to live somewhere else. Anywhere else. Hot, cold, temperate … I wouldn’t care. I’d be going, leaving SA.
To put this desire to flee into perspective, I have to disclose my deep and abiding love of SA, of South Africans. Saying that I would be prepared to go and live among strangers is surprising — even to myself.
I have loved everything about this beloved land: I love the sunshine both in terms of the weather and the mien of the people, who warmly face adversity with a smile. I love the way we always find a sliver of hope in seemingly wretched situations. I love our forbearance, our capacity to absorb shocks; I’m in awe of our stoicism.
And then, a few months ago, I lost my optimism and allowed myself to descend into the pit of despair. Hope flew out of the window and for many reasons, emigration moved into the realm of the preferable.
Suddenly, the scope and scale of state capture loomed large and inescapable. We are now suffering the after effects of mass theft — the kind of graft that has seen my meagre pension shrink; that has seen us having to endure new lows as we learn to live with load-shedding.
The fact that nobody can tell us when, if ever, the lights will come on, and stay on, is alarming.
My friends (and I) are frustrated at every turn.
So, when finance minister Tito Mboweni tells us in his budget speech that Eskom remains the top priority, that a stable electricity supply is “our number one task”, we’re sceptical.
The figures are not assuring. In the past dozen years, an astonishing R162bn of our tax rands have been allocated, by the government, to bail out state-owned enterprises (SOEs). Here’s the kicker: of that sum, 82% or R133bn went to Eskom.
It doesn’t stop there. In the next three years, we hear, the state will spend a further R112bn on the utility. And they (we) will keep on paying for the next seven years — and there’s still no guarantee that the lights will go on and stay on.
On the run
A week ago I moved into my new apartment and the first posts on the apartment block WhatsApp group were of two young couples advertising their household goods for sale. They are leaving SA, one pair and their two small children for Europe; the other couple and their baby daughter for New Zealand. They were selling white goods and so, as I negotiated the price of a dishwasher from one and a tumble dryer from another, we talked about why they were leaving.
All four young adults admitted to feeling hopeless — like me, for the first time in their lives — and worried about their own, and their children’s future. And the one thing we all had in common is that we could see no respite from the load-shedding, and from having our water supply cut off for long periods of time.
It’s the paper cut theory: one paper cut won’t kill you, but a thousand will. We, in this country, are living through the era of the thousand paper cuts.
I wonder about ... the single mother trying to feed, clothe and raise her small children. Mboweni’s budget hasn’t really brought them any relief
Reviews of the finance minister’s budget have highlighted positive things in it: no increase in taxes; making buying a home easier for first-time buyers…
Still, young professionals — employed professionals — are leaving the country in droves, shrinking our already dwindling tax base. Our unemployment figures are high so the number of taxpayers is small. We can’t afford to lose any employed people who pay tax.
Not that I am going anywhere, but if I were, where would I go? The world’s in a bit of a mess.
There’s a joke doing the rounds: Q: How to clear a snaking queue you’re standing in at home affairs? A: Talk loudly into your mobile as you tell a friend that you’ve just returned from a trip to Asia and that you have an unusually high temperature. Then cough loudly and watch people scatter.
Actually, it’s really not even funny. But it shows how jumpy we are around anyone who’s suffering from a respiratory infection, or who has recently traveled. And when I say traveled anywhere, I mean anywhere in the world — not just China where the coronavirus originated.
So far, the virus has claimed almost 3,000 lives. As I write this, the BBC is putting out a news update announcing that the number of coronavirus cases in Italy has jumped to 400. This rise in numbers in Italy, which is the main focus of infection in Europe, reflects a whopping 25% surge in the past 24 hours.
This week the World Health Organisation (WHO) put out an alarming statement: for the first time, the virus is now spreading faster outside China, where it started, with 40 countries having been infected. So far, there has not been a single case of coronavirus reported in SA.
Back to the budget, there were some good things for abstinent people such as myself: higher sin taxes — cigarette and booze prices are to skyrocket. Still, I wonder about the rural granny struggling to live on a pittance; or the single mother trying to feed, clothe and raise her small children. Mboweni’s budget hasn’t really brought them any relief.
And, like me, they have nowhere to escape to. We’re here. We’re stuck here. We’re the ones who’ll be putting the lights out.
Hang on… What lights?
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