In January 1990, Nelson Mandela wrote: “The nationalization of the mines, banks, and monopoly industries is the policy of the ANC, and a change or modification of our views in this regard is inconceivable. Black economic empowerment is a goal we fully support and encourage, but in our situation, state control of certain sectors of the economy is unavoidable.”
There is no doubt that Nelson Mandela was an Honorable man. However, the Mandela that spent 27 years in South Africa’s prison under harsh, oppressive, and inhumane circumstances was not the same Mandela that walked out. He gave of himself in ways we will never really know; on the other hand, we do know that he gave his life to expand the quality of Black civilization.
The world will continue to honor this giant of a man; however, the Melaninated disenfranchised original inhabitants of South Africa must examine the Economical way forward for the majority Black Population. I am referring to the earliest known natives that inhabited this land before the arrival of European settler colonists.
We know that South African Blacks successfully achieved a political revolution; however, the “Economic Revolution” is yet to be realized. We must examine what happened that caused the effort to end South Africa’s Economic Apartheid to go so wrong. What changed during the transition from the racist apartheid regime to the so-called new democracy that left the best land, the mines, manufacturing plants, and financial institutions in the hand of the minority whites?
The answer to this question begins and ends with the twin evils known as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank (WB). These criminal enterprises are the same global financial institutions that funded the apartheid government between the 1950s to early 1990s. The South African Apartheid government was sanctioned for its’ ruthless, wicked, and repressive actions against Black South Africans.
The IMF and World Bank coerced the new ANC government to abandon its fundamental position to nationalize mines, banks, and other strategic industries. The ANC also abandoned its land redistribution policy outlined in its Freedom Charter. What is more incredible, to this very day, after 20+ years, the ANC transitional government is paying back loans taken out by the apartheid regime to oppress black people in South Africa.
Moreover, the ANC government was tricked into taking out a loan from the IMF for $850 million. The ANC government is still servicing the debt of billions annually, accumulating inflated interest yearly. The IMF loan caused an impediment to SA’s efforts to grow its economy and create jobs.
South Africa’s post-apartheid IMF loan also required the bulk of SA’s GDP to go toward repayment. Most of the “profits generated by mines and banks in post-apartheid South Africa are invested offshore. This was part of the conditions of the loan taken by the ANC government. Consequently, nothing is left to invest in South Africa’s indigenous people.
South Africa is now a nation in peril. Its’ youth, which constitutes 38% of the population, numbering more than 20 million, will not allow the blood of their ancestries spilled over 365 years of Apartheid to die in vain. South Africa’s unemployment rates are among the highest in the world, and the Black youth unemployment rate is the highest of all.
South Africa is a predominantly Black nation; however, its’ five wealthiest persons, all billionaires, are all white men. This is unsustainable, and I would like to take this opportunity to present a solution to this problem. My solution encompasses concepts put forward by the young Nelson Mandela: the nationalization of the mines, banks, and monopoly industries. However, my answer goes a bit further. I suggest that South African Blacks must demand that white South Africans and others provide them with proof that they purchased their lands from the original owners.
Those who cannot produce said legal documents showing that they purchased their land must relinquish ownership of the stolen land. Those that significantly improved the land can receive compensation; however, the land and its values must go into the public trust. It will become the people’s property and be used to improve the quality of life for all South African Aborigines. South African Blacks must never again allow themselves to adhere to threats by Bankers, corporate interests, and wealthy individuals. If minorities, whites, and others want to leave because of the new reality, show them the door.
Facts:
1) South Africa’s first census in a decade shows wealth disparities between race groups that persist 18 years after the end of Apartheid.
2) In South Africa, the wealthiest 10 percent of the population earns nearly 60 percent of the country’s total income.
3) In South Africa, virtually all the wealthy are white, and all the poor are black.
4) In South Africa, the white per capita income is nearly eight times that of blacks, according to the South African Institute of Race Relations.
5) The gap has certainly not gone unnoticed since the structure of the apartheid-era economy has remained largely intact.
6) About 80 percent of South Africa’s 51.8 million population are black, and nearly 18 million working-age South Africans are unemployed.
7) Nearly 20 years after democracy, income inequality has got worse, not better.
8) Income inequity seems to be promoting a new form of racism. White males, who control most industries, are being blamed for the continuing triple crisis of unemployment, inequality, and poverty” in South Africa.
9) The ANC has failed to expedite the post-apartheid economic redistribution of the country’s wealth.
10) As of today, South Africa, the biggest in Africa, is facing an urgent situation that is heightened by bold talk from angry youths, especially males, who are tired of empty promises.
It is deplorable that some of South Africa’s ANC political leaders seem more concerned about who will be the next president than working to bring economic justice to its majority Black population.
South Africa’s Black elected government must not continue to partner with domestic and foreign agents that are presently using Africa s stolen treasures to live elegant lifestyles in their “Eiffel Towers ” at the same time, South African s Aborigines are struggling to get decent housing, clean water, and suitable medical care.
Consequently, South Africa s Aborigines must complete the economic revolution by demanding that compensation be provided for properties stolen from them in the lead-up and during the apartheid area.
A pivotal question must be answered; when South Africa’s Apartheid regime ended in 1994, why weren’t the stolen properties and wealth returned to South Africa s original people? To this day, why is the politically elected government in South Africa still protecting ill-gotten white wealth?
During the civil rights area, people tried to tell Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to slow down; his response was as follows, “We are now faced with the fact that tomorrow is today. As African-Americans were in the 60’s, Black South Africans are confronted with the fierce urgency of now. There is no such thing as being too late in this unfolding conundrum of life and history. Black South Africans have no time for apathy or complacency. It is a time for vigorous and positive action.”
Immediate action is required of the African Union governments; hence, they must get on the right side of history. They are facing a “The Fierce Urgency” moment. Black political leaders cannot force Black children to wait another 50 to 100 years to benefit from the abundant natural resources and wealth in prosperous South Africa.
The definition of insanity is doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting a different result. Insanity is precisely the path that the Black majority government has taken, and it’s time to get off the insanity wagon.
As I stated before, the UN resolutions below carry the Blueprints required to peacefully finish both South Africa’s humanitarian as well as its ECONOMIC Resolutions:
• The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in 1952 adopted Resolution 1803, and in 1962 adopted Resolution 1803, which entitled developing countries to Permanent Sovereignty over Natural Resources.
• Resolution 1803 was repeated in resolution 2158. This resolution declared that foreign investments, in particular as they can be helpful to improve the exploitation of natural resources, can be accepted. Still, domestic laws of the host State shall continuously regulate them.
• Resolution 3201 specified that states have full permanent sovereignty rights over their natural resources and give states the right to nationalize foreign property when necessary.
It is still time for South Africa’s Black leadership to regain its integrity and the trust of its majority Black population. International laws and moral laws are on their side, and it’s time for them to act with the “Fierce Urgency of Now.”