Not only has “free housing” created a sense of entitlement in South Africa, it has also killed the ambition we require to excel.
A home affairs building was set ablaze as a result of an eviction protest, with people attempting to occupy flats at Pharoe Park, Germiston, without paying rent.
So, facing eviction, they escalated to public violence and arson.
And this remains South Africa’s problem – the belief that destruction and lawlessness deliver messages effectively to the receiver’s ears.
In the case of access to health care facilities, one of the complaints that goes around is the entitlement to these facilities that foreign nationals are accused of displaying.
While we may not know who the parties involved in the Pharoe Park lawlessness are, we can all agree that an expectation to occupy a home without meeting the standards of the owners is itself a sense of entitlement.
Not only has “free housing” created a sense of entitlement, it has also killed the ambition we require to excel.
What happened to hard work, perseverance and dreaming big? The logic here is, why dream big when the government owes me?
South Africa has an estimated population of 64.1 million people. Where would we be as a country if we all believed the government owes us?
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And what if the government cannot meet all our needs and desires? The country would burn. The risk also arises from what I call “dangerous electioneering”.
This refers to unrealistic promises that some voters believe. Political parties should not sell false hope.
Educate your voters on the obligations of government, the capabilities of government and the challenges you may encounter.
It is also important that the provision of housing is done on a sustainable scale. Those burning tyres do not qualify for houses before everyone else. That’s not how it works.
The attitude of entitlement does not breed responsibility; in fact, one is left to think hard work is only meant for those who do not know how to protest, make a noise or violently demand that their needs are met.
What we really need is a population that sees what politicians tell us for what it really is and who are determined to achieve their goals – legally – without demanding handouts.
Or we will forever be known as the country that gives and gives because, under pressure, the government is expected to fold amid the burning sprees of ordinary citizens who become criminals to get what they want.
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