South Africa, the 24-year-old whose past life isn't so “past”. This kid's demons still come out to play! Let's personify the country and imagine for a second that South Africa is a child born in 1994. Birthed by a woman who was or is “racially unstable” and prejudice, the lady only cared about specific parts of herself. The other parts were badly beaten, unfairly treated, and cheated out on a good education. These unfairly treated parts, of this deranged lady, are the same parts that the 24-year-old has to use to cope, understand and grow a future from. Do you think “South Africa” is doing well?
Sadly in this instance, South Africa is not an individual, it's a country! That's where the state capture concept stems from, right there, in that tiny gap of knowledge. The term is defined to be a type of political corruption that is driven by personal interests. Which in my opinion doesn't surprise me! Imagine being deprived of a good education, fair conditions and healthy background then being thrown with the responsibility of looking after not only yourself but an entire nation's basic needs and best interests. Let's not kid ourselves, the ANC is not made of holy and just members who can steer away temptations yet this does not mean that specific parts of the party are allowed to meddle with the livelihood of the nation. When one mentions STATE CAPTURE surely one cannot go WITHOUT MENTIONING THE NOTORIOUS CLAN, the Guptas! You have to truly commend how a
family can become such a force to reckon with! The family is not only involved in scandals and fraud around high-end organisations such as KPMG but now also around one of the most trusted South African banks.
From the Public Relations perspective this is not a GOOD LOOK for the ANC. Yes, the country has been through a lot but infiltration from an outside influence, can shake the trust of the receiving end. Who in this case are the citizens of the country! Who have been waiting for some good news since 1994. Yet are sadly still to await the news because of fake news, misleading trends and corruption. The communication industry is essential at this point and more so, ethics are of great importance to all practitioners! It may come down to the practitioners of this country to stop the early signs of a political war, inflation, and a broken economy because the rand is not looking so good.
The country should focus on the nationalisation of all major stakeholders such as investors, banks, and organisations that influence the country's GDP. Land reform is a conversation that demands more initiative from the government and the constitutional high court of South Africa. The educational system is a joke because how many of us can actually speak confidently about credit or equities of our financial well being? But mostly one cannot stress how important vivid and honest communication is, and how it can change the momentum and direction of the economy. SO COME ON INDUSTRY!!! It's time to do what we know best, ETHICALLY communicate and start conversations with the masses. I hope this blog sparks a conversation or two!
SEE YOU NEXT WEEK!!!!!