No changing ANC spots

Alexander Parker’s column refers (“Dead hand of ANC’s election panic will paralyse reform at Transnet and Eskom”, October 2).

I doubt there will be any meaningful fix, proposed or implemented, even after the election. Most of the voters are desperate and economically dysfunctional, and mostly approve of the ANC policies that have led to our economic predicament. They dislike the consequences of those policies (hence the endless service delivery protests), but seem unable to connect the dots.

So, historically it is unlikely the ANC will lose enough power to force it to negotiate sensible economic policies. I therefore don’t believe SA is capable of coming up with a political solution to its economic problems. I suspect that to survive, the private sector (and by implication, all minorities) will have to develop their own logistical systems (private ports, rail, roads and so on), much like what is starting to happen in the electricity sector.

This will be hugely expensive and will not necessarily lead to growth — but it will be the best bet for survival. The ANC is just not ideologically or technically capable of running a modern country. That will still be the case after the election and for the foreseeable future.

Ian Ferguson Via BusinessLIVE