Over 31 years, ANC governance has transformed inherited infrastructure into a liability. Unemployment hovers at 39.5%, with load-shedding alone erasing 21,000 agricultural jobs in the Eastern Cape.
Food insecurity affects 73% of households, exacerbated by transport failures that hike produce prices.The economy, once Africa's powerhouse, stagnates at 1.2% growth, while debt balloons to 75% of GDP from Eskom and Transnet rescues. Public services embody the rot: Water shortages plague cities due to polluted rivers and dysfunctional sewage plants, while municipalities rack up R200 billion in debt to Eskom.
Incompetent workers—often appointed via cadre deployment—deliver shoddy service, yet command salaries 2-3 times the private sector average, funded by taxpayer bailouts. The Auditor-General has flagged misuse of capital funds for salaries, with state entities like Eskom and Transnet hemorrhaging R100 billion yearly on overheads. This extravagance—executives' "lavish lifestyles" amid collapse—fuels public outrage. The 2024 elections saw the ANC's vote share plummet below 50%, partly due to infrastructure woes. Yet, policies like Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) quotas prioritize political allies over merit, perpetuating inefficiency.
Today, Eskom's aging coal plants—poorly maintained due to theft of coal and copper—operate at just 70% capacity, far below the 90% needed for reliability.The government has pumped in over R500 billion in bailouts since 2008, yet blackouts returned in January 2025 after a brief respite.Workers, meanwhile, enjoy inflated salaries—average annual pay exceeds R1 million—while executives pocket bonuses amid chaos.Eskom's relentless tariff hikes, up 19.9% in some years (though regulators capped it at 5.2% in 2018), burden households and businesses, with low-income areas hit hardest by "load reduction" cuts.The result? Factories idle, jobs vanish, and GDP growth stifled by up to 4% annually.
South Africa's roads and rail networks, vital for transporting goods, have fared no better. Transnet, the state logistics giant, suffers from sabotage and looting—over 60 "black sites" where coal is stolen along rail lines, forcing reliance on overburdened highways.
potholes plague national routes, with maintenance budgets diverted to salaries, leaving farmers unable to haul produce efficiently. The fresh produce markets—once bustling hubs like Johannesburg's—now "fall apart" from neglect, with rotting infrastructure leading to spoilage and lost revenue estimated at billions.
Railways, meant to carry 250 million tonnes of freight annually, operate at half-capacity due to theft and underinvestment, stranding exports and inflating costs for agricultural goods.Farmers bear the brunt: In the Western Cape and Free State, producers report roads too degraded for heavy trucks, while rail delays mean fresh citrus and grains arrive spoiled.
This inefficiency has widened rural-urban divides, with smallholders—already squeezed by high diesel costs from load-shedding—facing bankruptcy. The ANC's "proactive" fixes, like R21.7 billion for Sanral roads, create temporary jobs but fail to stem the decay.
For 31 years, since the African National Congress (ANC) assumed power in 1994, South Africa has grappled with a slow-motion catastrophe: the systematic decay of its once-world-class infrastructure. What began as a nation brimming with post-apartheid promise has devolved into a landscape of potholed roads, flickering lights, crumbling railways, and neglected public services. This isn't mere misfortune—it's the direct consequence of chronic mismanagement, rampant corruption, and a bloated public sector where incompetence is rewarded with lavish salaries and lifestyles. The toll on the economy, everyday citizens, and critical sectors like agriculture is incalculable, turning essential services into luxuries and eroding the very foundations of prosperity.
FLEXBOX -- 155 (sold) South Africa - Happy Families training together in the comfort of their homes- The USA is wide open and the first boxes are been shipped.
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