It seems these days we are all looking for some form of protection.
We as consumers are looking for protection from the government, in terms of the rising cost of living, which has been exacerbated by spiking fuel prices.
This is why the medium-term budget policy, delivered by the new Finance minister Tito Mboweni, sparked so much interest.
The budget speech was described beforehand by the Budget Justice Coalition (BJC) as being “one of the most challenging”.
The BJC, which is an alliance of civil society organs, called for “a pro-poor approach”. After all, in South Africa, and here in Boksburg, the poor keeps becoming poorer and the middle-class worker is taking enormous strain because they are taxed to death beyond the capabilities of surviving.
Mboweni’s speech was as depressing as watching The Handmaid’s Tale.
Tax hikes are already the order of the day in 2019, while the economy is not growing. And the government is still not willing to touch the inflated cabinet or address the inflated public sector, with the wage bill already accounting for 35 per cent of government expenditure.
At the moment the state employs over 1.3 million workers with an average annual increase in salaries of 11.2 per cent – far outstripping inflation.
Parastatals keep bleeding the country dry, which was partly a reason for the hike in value added tax (VAT). Leadership incompetency erodes all forms of protection as the economy collapses at an alarming rate.
In this land of fading rainbows, youth unemployment surged to 52.4 per cent in the first quarter of this year.
Job seekers between the ages of 15 and 24 remain on the receiving end of the unemployment scourge despite President Cyril Ramaphosa launching the Youth Employment Service in March to address the problem.
Our youth are, therefore, looking desperately for protection from an uncertain future, but sadly, there is no such protection.
South Africans are also crying for protection from corruption in all spheres of government, made evident by the hearings into state capture, and the recent shocking findings of how the VBS Mutual Bank was looted of billions of rand.
By the way, the government now has to foot the bill of hundreds of millions for this investigation, which places greater strain on the ordinary worker. How ironic.
We all need protection from rampant crime and violence, while farmers cries fall on deaf ears as the government ignores the bloody atrocity committed against our food source.
Recently, the South Africa Institute of Race Relations made it clear that South Africa’s agricultural sector continues to be threatened by a volatile security situation. It is imperative the government takes this seriously and acts appropriately.
An Agri-SA report shows that a shocking 70 per cent of farms had experienced some form of crime in 2017.
So yes Mr President, farm attacks is a reality, just as corruption continues to be a reality the government needs to deal with, even within its own ranks.
And then, in our education sector, both teachers and learners need protection from each other.
This is the state of our lawless country. The teachers are threatened by learners and teachers resort to violence to protect themselves.
For this reason, Minister of Basic Angie Motshekga said during the School Safety Summit that communities needed to play a crucial role on issues of safety in schools.
It was great to hear Motshekga tell her audience the first step is to make children distinguish between what is deemed right or wrong.
After all, it seems learners have forgotten their place in the classroom, and so shoot themselves in the foot for the ultimate victim is education. And without education, one remain powerless.
Just as shocking as to what is happening in schools is what is happening in our churches. Yes, the supposed place of sanctity and holiness has become a place of predators, where even the greatest predator with a forked tongue stands behind a pulpit.
Recently, the government announced plans to hold public hearings into abuse meted out in the guise of religion and faith. This follows the trial of Pastor Timothy Omotoso, who is facing charges of human trafficking, racketeering and sexual assault.
The hearings will be national and will invite women to speak out about their experiences of abuses in the guise of religion and faith. These abuses can be in churches, synagogues and mosques.
Televangelist Bishop Jabu Ndaba (52) and leader of Trinity Apostolic Church was sentenced to life imprisonment. Ndaba was charged with two counts of rape of a minor.
So yes, wherever you turn, there are cries for help. For protection. For hope. For assistance. For support. Sadly, all these cries, for now, are consumed by so many political, economic and social storms.
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