It is a sad day when the African National Congress is mistaken for woolly-headed DA. But the day had long been coming. Remember the mythical meeting on the way from Davos when Nelson Mandela, leader of the ANC was cajoled to abandon the idea of controlling the central points of the Political Economy of South Africa when the ANC would be in control of the government of the country. Nobody has reconstructed how the conversation went but by the time Mandela got back to Pretoria/Johannesburg/Cape Town it was settled; only it wasn’t stated anywhere in the books. Only a businessman head of the political party the ANC, President of the government of the country, could finally say it: government does not create jobs, business does.

The occasion was the most solemn in the country, the most solemn occasion in the year when the country marked its most memorable occasion. The time devoted to pomp and pageantry far outlasted the time devoted to useful work.

It was the time devoted to work that the statement was made to the effect that governments do not create jobs, business does. One may ask then what the government of China has been doing since 1948? What has the government of Cuba been doing since 1960? Ultimately all business is government business. If we break it down business of the country is business of the government. The rest of the businesses of the country is the buying and selling among the citizens of the country. This is where retailers make their fortunes, men and women like Dangote. The more solid business is the business of constructing the influencing structures of society. At the end of the day, you might depend on one person or the other who would open the way for you.

It was a grand opportunity for the Democratic Alliance which saw its own chance. The Leader of the DA was not long in claiming that the speech that the leader of government made was the speech of the DA. In what way was it the speech of the DA? Did the president record copy it verbatim from the records of the DA? Nothing of this nature has yet been proved.

The South African Communist Party must be the most shame-faced communist party in the world. For the thirty or so years that the ANC has been in power, the SACP has been there with him. From time to tim, the SACP has threatened to go it alone only to stretch out its hand forward and accept the next cabinet position.The SACP cannot point to a government policy that the communist party influenced for the better of the republic.

The ink was hardly dry when the SACP was announcing how the ANC doesn’t represent them. How long ago has the ANC stopped representing the SACP?
The Congress of South African Trade Unions, COSATU to everybody, has always been quick in dissociating themselves from many of the foolishness of the government of Zuma although they were deceived to believe that he was definitely sympathetic to the left. Soon they saw the folly of their opinion. In no time at all, they had taken their hands from behind Jacob Zuma. With the progression of the Zondo Commission and the refusal of Zuma to give evidence before the commission, they saw that Zuma had a lot to hide.

Is this where COSATU should be today as a member of government, a third arm of government? How influential it is and it could be? Given the radical ideas to be found inside the house, how can it not influence policy?

How easy is it going to be for the ANC to carry out the policy of the DA. The ANC has not been able to carry out its own programs without its members scrambling over the money.

The fact of the matter is that in a developing state, all money for development is in the hands of the government. That means that all the major business in the country is in the hands of the government of the country.

In any country that has come to the point of renewing its infrastructure, like the United States of America, the money and the business is in the hands of the government of the day. We need to build bridges, construct roads and maintain ways for railways and trains. This is business. It is in the hands of government of the day.

Herein lies the lie. Business does not create jobs. When companies start out, they are looking for jobs to do. Government decides what needs to be done. Having decided what to do, the different ministries decide their priorities for the four years that the government is in power. Once the ministries have decided their priorities for the year, they put out tenders. Companies compete for the jobs. Here is the power of those who award the contracts.

How much do you give to the minister?
10 per cent? Remember that the minister earns his or her salary and emoluments. In addition, he must have a little of the business person’s business.
50 per cent? The politician divides the cost of the project with the business man. The business person takes his cut and runs away. There then goes the rural road that should link Kafanchan to its rural areas so that the local farmers can move their farm products to the rural markets. 100 per cent? At this point, the minister turned entrepreneur awards the contract to himself and his friends as well as members of his family. So that government business becomes family business. Who is creating jobs?

The government that creates the environment for his or her own enrichment?
In a democracy, there is usually the party that is friendly to business, usually the Conservative Party. Here in South Africa, that would be the Democratic Alliance. And they recognised their speech when they heard it.

The other parties are radical and would wish to control the main aspects of the Economy; that is, decide who builds the pipelines and runs the oil wells, the politician or the business person?

Do you know what all this is leading to? A co-allusion government of ANC and DA with EFF out in the cold as opposition party.