Editorial
Running on empty? God Bless Neo-liberalism
by Shafinaaz Hassim
A little over a decade ago, various media voiced the concerns of critics about the state's decision to adopt neo-liberal policies. While debates have raged throughout this time, dissident voice was, for the most part, hushed as mere skepticism.
They said it would make us richer.
Now, as we watch our little house of cards slowly tumbling over, one can only wonder about these shortsighted urges to follow so-called global trends.
The evidence is exhausting.
Power infrastructure has crumbled; and Eskom's top guns will receive ridiculously high 'compensation' for their traumatic ordeal. These substantial monies could be put to better use in upgrading faulty facilities. Durban Transport got sold in 2003 for R70 million, and we now hear that rate payers will have to cough up R150 million in order to clean up the mess that the privatized Remant Alton has been reduced to.
Highly critical? Well, let's see.
The rand has taken spectacular nose dives lately. Food, fuel and living costs have gone through the roof. The only thing that can be seen as stable is the minimum wage. And we can look forward to double digits (ten rand) per litre of fuel in a short few weeks, having just logged fuel increases a week ago, with the next one due on April 2.
While people try to figure out whether filling their tanks (and generators) with milk would be cheaper than opting for petrol, the 2010 committees will commence with their juggling act, hoping to divert attention from the gross neglect of infrastructure issues. Sporadic upgrades to transport, stadiums, power sources, etc are part of the fiasco for now. But, as basic amenities get more expensive and homes get strategically devaluated closer to the rates hikes deadlines, a vision of a candlelit soccer fest out in Sub-Saharan Africa seems like the ideal campaign metaphor for our hard-earned third world status.
We may have sold out to neo-liberalism back then, but the legacy of 'pawning off the local' so that a select few might cash in on global market treasures, might prove to be a difficult one to rid ourselves of.
Shafinaaz Hassim is a lecturer at the School of Sociology and Social Sciences. UKZN.
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