Zuma frighteningly out of touch with harsh reality

12 January 2016 - 10:03 By The Times Editorial

How can we begin to make a sensible assessment of the state of the nation when our head of state assures us that we are exaggerating our problems? On Sunday President Jacob Zuma said his surprise firing of Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene last year did not crash the rand. He went on to aver that the government had been tackling institutionalised racism since 1994 and the problem today was merely that there were still some individuals who harboured racism and prejudice.It is alarming that Zuma sees no direct correlation between the rand crashing last year and his firing of the finance minister.When Zuma replaced Nene with an unknown back bencher, the rand promptly fell 9.1% to a low of 16.0543 to the dollar.He sees no connection between his action and the JSE losing R170-billion ($11-billion).It is troubling when a leader fails to appreciate that his decisions, or lack of them, can have a direct and often dire effect on events.The sooner the president and those around him appreciate their role in the performance of the rand and the economy, the more able they will be to find solutions. But for as long as Zuma sees nothing wrong in whatever he does or says in relation to the economy, South Africa will continue on its downward path.He should appreciate the pain endured by black people in particular who still must contend with racism every day. His bizarre contention that institutionalised racism has been defeated points to a man who has totally lost touch with reality.We would not be in the situation we are in today, in which most black people are still excluded from the mainstream economy, if we had truly defeated institutionalised racism.Institutionalised racism blights many before they are born and perpetuates the notion that blacks are second-class citizens incapable of understanding the modern world.It would be wise of the president to walk the streets to gain an understanding of our pain...

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