South Africa’s new president dashes hope of moderates
Those still hoping that South Africa's new President, Cyril Ramaphosa, would represent a positive, new chapter for South Africa, had their hopes dashed on Wednesday.
Published: February 22, 2018, 9:38 am
During Ramaphosa’s address to the nation from parliament in Cape Town he made clear that his priority is to “right the injustice of the past”, going all the way back to the original European colonists in the 1600s.
The problem is that the colonists did not take any land from the indigenous tribes, because of the Mfecane, but this historical fact did not stop the new president from continuing his anti-white rant.
Mfecane – a Zulu word, means “crushing, scattering, forced dispersal, forced migration” – was a period of widespread warfare among indigenous ethnic communities in southern Africa during the period between 1815 and about 1840 leading to the genocide of interior tribes, and leaving the interior of the country empty at the time colonists decided to move north.
White colonists were therefore never part of any of the black-on-black conflict raging, but as many researchers have pointed out, blaming whites is often a way to unite black tribes in the country and Ramaphosa himself belongs to a hated ethnic minority. As a Venda, Ramaphosa is thus inclined to want to focus on an anti-white diatribe, something that former ousted president Zuma – a Zulu – felt no need for.
Ramaphosa blamed the white colonists for the “original sin”, and stated that he wanted to see “the return of the land to the people from whom it was taken… to heal the divisions of the past.”
How does he plan on doing that? By land confiscation, and specifically through confiscation without compensation.
“The expropriation of land without compensation is envisaged as one of the measures that we will use to accelerate redistribution of land to black South Africans.”
Ramaphosa minced no words about taking land from white farmers and giving it to black South Africans.
Astonishingly, the black billionaire followed up that statement the naive claim that: “We will handle it in a way that is not going to damage our economy.”
South Africa now wants to do what Zimbabwe did several years ago. Seeking to correct “colonial injustices” in his country, Zimbabwe’s president Robert Mugabe initiated a land redistribution program in 1999-2000.
Thousands of white-owned farms were confiscated by the government, and the white farmers were forced out by black youths mobs posing as “war veterans” although most were not old enough to remember the “liberation war” fought by black terrorists.
Bear in mind that Zimbabwe used to be known as the breadbasket of southern Africa. Zimbabwe’s world-class farmers were major food exporters to the rest of the region.
But within a few years of Mugabe’s land distribution, food production plummeted.
Without its professional, experienced farmers, the nation went from being an agricultural export powerhouse to having to rely on handouts from the United Nations’ World Food Programme.
Hyperinflation and a multi-decade depression followed.
South Africa has had a front-row seat to the effects of Mugabe’s land redistribution, not to mention the millions of starving Zimbabwean refugees who came across the borders.
It seems clear that copying Zimbabwe is a non-workable idea and will only end up hurting the people they claim to be helping.
But while most have sounded the alarm on a future disaster-in-the-making, the financial newspaper in Johannesburg, The Businessday, has been selling the idea of land grab with fervour.
An analyst who wants to remain anonymous, told FMW that there is a globalist angle to Ramaphosa’s zeal to take white farms. Corporate interests in Johannesburg linked to Buenos Aires, Argentina, hope the coming food insecurity would lead to lucrative grain contracts paid for by US and European taxpayers.
All rights reserved. You have permission to quote freely from the articles provided that the source (www.freewestmedia.com) is given. Photos may not be used without our consent.
Consider donating to support our work
Help us to produce more articles like this. FreeWestMedia is depending on donations from our readers to keep going. With your help, we expose the mainstream fake news agenda.
Keep your language polite. Readers from many different countries visit and contribute to Free West Media and we must therefore obey the rules in, for example, Germany. Illegal content will be deleted.
If you have been approved to post comments without preview from FWM, you are responsible for violations of any law. This means that FWM may be forced to cooperate with authorities in a possible crime investigation.
If your comments are subject to preview by FWM, please be patient. We continually review comments but depending on the time of day it can take up to several hours before your comment is reviewed.
We reserve the right to delete comments that are offensive, contain slander or foul language, or are irrelevant to the discussion.
Africa
South Africa’s infrastructure 30 years after the end of Apartheid
LondonHating South Africa was part of growing up in North London in the 1980s. Pelle Taylor and Patrick Remington from Two Raven Films, recently interviewed South Africans about the decline of the country after Apartheid ended.
Nigerian President: More weapons for Ukraine end up in Africa
LagosSome time ago, FWM reported on arms deliveries to Ukraine, which shortly afterwards were resold on the Internet. Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has warned that "weapons used in the war in Ukraine are gradually leaking into the region" and called for strengthened border security.
Namibia sees opportunity to attract German energy refugees
Windhoek"The former German colony, Namibia wants to help Germany in its energy crisis". This is how an article in the online edition of a German newspaper recently began about Namibia's new "Digital Nomad" visa. The six-month visa is ideal for long-term holidaymakers. And for professionals who have their office on their laptop and can work from anywhere.
Uneven global population growth reaches 8 billion
According to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), we celebrated the 8 billionth day* on November 15. The planet's population is still increasing dramatically, albeit at a decreasing pace.
French fuel debacle spills over to Senegal
DakarThe recent events at the French embassy in Burkina Faso were yet another demonstration against France on the African continent after France was ousted from Mali. All it took was a rumour to attract the sympathy of the population and demonstrators to head to the French Embassy.
New South African drone to compete with Turkey’s Bayraktar
PretoriaThe South African defense company Milkor unveiled its Milkor 380 reconnaissance and attack unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). It is expected to become a competitor to Turkey's Bayraktar and Anka drones.
Bucking the trend: Uganda bans work by LGBT group
KampalaThe Ugandan government has banned the activities of a local non-governmental organization that campaigns for the rights of sexual minorities. According to a senior official, the organization worked illegally in the African country.
South Africa: 82 suspects arrested after a mass rape
KrugersdorpDozens of black men ambushed a film crew at an abandoned mine near Johannesburg on Friday. They raped eight models between the ages of 19 and 35. As they fled, the police shot dead two suspects and 82 other people were arrested.
BRICS expansion on the cards
More and more emerging countries are considering joining the BRICS group, which is seen as the major emerging countries' counterweight to the US-led West and the G7. Especially in times like these, this is also a clear signal to Washington.
One comment
Response written by Mark Philip Malcolm Horn – London Barrister. * No one does business with a thief, and no one extends credit to a thief.
“You can not have land expropriation without compensation. It is illegal in international law. It is contrary to a dozen treaties that South Africa has signed and ratified. As such, it is a principle that is also enshrined in South African domestic law. You can not change the Constitution therefore to make it legal – Treaty law is superior law, it always applies.
The proposal, if directed at land held by the white community, would also contravene half a dozen international treaties, notably those condemning apartheid, that South Africa since the ANC took power, has signed and ratified.
The same argument applies above, but now with the ironic twist that any such initiative would result in the ANC being condemned under international law for actions that the world would condemn as being racist.
So no, it can not be done. When Mugabe tried this, the point was litigated. These were the legal conclusions. Now, Mugabe pushed ahead, so what happened?
Well, the claims for illegal expropriation still are valid in law – at some point the Zimbabwean Government will need to pay them.
The consequence of their illegal policy is not forgotten with time. If they ever want to be re-integrated into the global community, they will need to pay.
As to the consequences of such a policy – Zimbabwe is a good example. There are no sanction on Zimbabwe. That is a myth. The only sanctions are those targeted on Mugabe and a few of his associates, and they are in place because of human rights abuses.
The economy has crashed, there is a 90% unemployment rate, for the very simple fact that Zimbabwe has shown itself to be a thief. No one does business with a thief, and no one extends credit to a thief.
You can not run a modern economy without access to the international market, and for that you need credit. The Zimbabwean economy has declined by 70% from what it was at independence simply because no one does business with a thief.
So what would be the consequence of a policy of expropriation without compensation in South Africa? Well, as noted, such a policy would be illegal.
The international community will immediately take note that South Africa has become a rogue state. That is not too much to worry, about, its just political. There are plenty of rogue states around the world.
What would happen, however, in terms of South Africa’s access to the international markets is of far more concern. South Africa would have signaled that property rights are insecure. That will mean that international investment in South Africa would come to a screeching halt.
This has been happening for many years in any event – that is why South Africa is now ranked no. 7 in gold mining, when it used to be no. 1.
It is why South Africa has a 27% unemployment rate, and a 50% youth unemployment rate. So the response could well be: “who cares, we do not need their investment”. That may well indeed be true.
But, that is not where the real crisis occurs. South Africa needs access to international financial markets because it has a trade and budget deficit. It needs access to international financial markets to pay for its bloated public sector, and to pay social grants to all those unemployed people.
To raise that money, it needs the banks. Now this is where the consequences of a policy of expropriation without compensation hits home.
Banks have, as is the nature of banking, highly leveraged Balance Sheets. They lend as multiples of the assets they actually have. They need to conform with the Basel ratio’s. If they have a rise in bad debt, they can easily wipe out their Balance Sheets – they then become bankrupt, and they collapse.
So what do you think will happen if land is expropriated without compensation to the Banks? The answer is, they will see a rise in bad debt, and they will collapse.
That is not the end of the story. South Africa has seen its black population rise from approximately 2.5 m in the mid 19th century, to its current level of 50 m. The 2.5 m may be taken as the sustainable level of the black population without the benefits of colonialism, and of modern agriculture.
That 2.5 m number is important, because only 13% of South Africa is suited for agriculture, and only 3% is high quality agricultural land. The vast majority of South African agricultural land requires the application of modern technology.
Farming in South Africa is highly capital intensive. Farmers depend on bank lending not only to buy their farms, but also to provide essential working capital.
So, what happens if the land is expropriated without compensation, if the banks then collapse? Well it means no one is able to provide the essential working capital. If the farms then collapse, then up to 95% of the existing black population is at risk of starvation.
The banks can not access international markets, international lenders will not lend, South Africa then descends into chaos. At point, the international community would probably intervene military to restore order. As such, South Africa would have become yet another Failed State in the traditional African mold.”
Sent from my iPhone
On 28 Feb 2018, at 19:08, Colin Henderson wrote:
Hi Elize
I hope this article is “Fake News”?
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5443599/White-South-African-farmers-removed-land.html?ito=social-facebook
Colin in London, Ontario, Canada
Heavy rain and warm temperatures last week resulted in extensive flooding. Snow is all gone but they are calling for a storm tomorrow.
By submitting a comment you grant Free West Media a perpetual license to reproduce your words and name/web site in attribution. Inappropriate and irrelevant comments will be removed at an admin’s discretion. Your email is used for verification purposes only, it will never be shared.