ANC rulers seem to be on a nostalgia trip for ‘good old days’

Without wanting to sound ageist, it does seem odd that the minister responsible for the youth in South Africa is 74 years old. Worse, though, is the fact that her mind is still firmly rooted in the Cold War, which ended almost 35 years ago.

Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma’s utterances are often straight from Soviet-era ideology and her remarks at the Brics Youth Summit last week sounded like they could have been scripted by speechwriters for communist dictators Joseph Stalin or Chairman Mao.

ALSO READ: Business leaders hit back at Dlamini-Zuma’s Brics Youth Summit remarks

She told delegates that Brics would be a means to “accelerate the downfall of an imperialist world order”.

Business Leadership South Africa CEO Busi Mavuso said she was taken aback by Dlamini-Zuma’s posturing. While it was logical to cultivate relationships with other Brics members, it “must not come at the expense of our relationships with the West”.

“This is surely obvious. While the opportunities in the East are clear, our trading relationships with the West are essential to our economic well-being.”

Ironically, Mavuso said, in the same speech Dlamini-Zuma bemoaned those who prefer us shipping raw materials rather than manufactured goods to the world and she did not pause to consider that our relationships with India and China are overwhelmingly characterised by South Africa exporting raw materials and importing manufactured goods.

ALSO READ: SA does not subscribe to choosing between Washington and Beijing – Mashatile

“She ignored that it is Europe and the United States that import by far the majority of our manufactured goods, including vehicles and machinery made here, the kinds of goods that drives industrial activity and add more value to our economy.”

Mavuso’s realistic assessment needs to be required reading for our ANC rulers, who seem to be on a nostalgia trip for the “good old days”, when the communist world supported their struggle.

Those days are long gone – and those who hanker after them should be, too.

ALSO READ: Brics-Africa tie fortified, Mbalula optimistic about collaboration