I’m hearing the phrase “failed state” more and more these days. And for someone like me, who considers himself an optimistic patriot, this is a tough reality to face.
I still refuse to believe that we are quite there yet, but we certainly are a few shaky steps away.
It feels like the dominoes are toppling one after the other and that our leaders are no longer able, or willing, to hold it together.
It’s like we are nearing the end of that Jenga game, where if someone pulls out one wrong block, the whole thing is going to come tumbling down.
And it’s just so tiring hearing about one more set-up compounding the previous one, while there’s another, more devastating one on the horizon.
Surely we must be suffering from collective anxiety and bad-news fatigue. If it isn’t the frightening possibility of Stage 16 load shedding one moment, then it’s the real chance of yet another petrol price hike that’s on the cards.
We go from increasing interest rates one moment, to sky-rocketing meat prices the next.
And it’s not just meat; the general cost of living seems to be spiralling out of control, as the prices of basic foodstuffs increase almost monthly now.
University students are protesting violently over funding, and while I would usually condemn the needless destruction, I also get their frustration.
But seriously guys, stop destroying the very infrastructure that’s there to provide you with a means to eventually escape your circumstances.
That interest rate hike means those of us with debt, may be forced into some tough decisions, like selling our homes.
Already the stats show that thousands of people are forced into selling their properties, because they just cannot afford it any longer.
Buyers, property investors and rental landlords are of course smiling all the way to the bank, alongside those with enough money to take advantage of the misery.
While some of us were still digesting that news, out of the blue, the rand suddenly got pounded by the dollar, causing enormous pressure on our economy.
In fact, our annual growth expectations have now been downgraded, because people just cannot afford anything anymore.
That in turn will mean less tax into government coffers, the net effect being less budget to address the very problems that started the whole mess to begin with.
It’s a vicious cycle that precipitates failed states; a slippery slope down which countries slide virtually overnight and from which there is seldom a return.
We have many similar, if not exact examples to show us the cautionary tale – Zimbabwe, Venezuela and in many ways, most southern European states, like Italy, Greece and Portugal.
We all know that this situation can’t go on forever. At some point, something will have to give.
I can only hope and pray that it isn’t the sort of unthinkable crisis, like our friends in Sudan are currently forced to endure.