OPINION: Good Business Basics: ‘We go where we are told’

An incident this past week crystallised for me in an instant exactly why the country is in the state it is in.

Let me sketch the scene for you:

I was running some errands at Oribi Plaza late on Friday, and happened to walk past the Nando’s outlet.

I noticed two local protection services officers and a Saps uniformed officer aggressively ‘guarding’ three parking bays that were vacant directly outside the outlet, as well as two marked protection services vehicles in close proximity.

I was bemused, and thought nothing of it until I passed back a short while later to see three luxury Mercedes SUVs backed up into the bays, side by side.

There were a number of burly, armed, bulletproof-vest wearing individuals around each vehicle.

ALSO READ: OPINION: Good Business Basics: Getting goods to market and people to work must be prioritised

The penny then dropped that a group of politicians, most likely local mayors had decided to ‘take lunch’ at Nando’s, but were not willing to put up with the month end chaos at the centre.

There was just so much wrong with this picture, especially in the context of the extremely distressing economic times most citizens are grappling with that it underscored for me (again) and vividly how distanced the fortunate political elite are from the man in the street.

This display of sheer political arrogance and entitlement was breathtaking to say the least.

To add insult to injury, if one had to be honest, these are relatively minor politicians, yet the need for so much security and luxury was astounding.

If one had to do a quick calculation of the cost of the three vehicles, the security, drivers and no doubt additional staff to carry bags and cellphones, together with the resources the local municipality had to contribute, and set it against the value that the three politicians add, how far down the minus scale do you think we’d be.

Alarmingly, this entire episode is set against the crumbling state of local government, and yet the incumbents are tone deaf to the message such sort of grandiose power display sends.

This picture is no doubt replicated in some form throughout the country every day.

We have had a taste of it with the minister of water affairs and the premier of the province visiting us (twice) days apart.

At a meeting I attended at the Ugu Sport and Leisure Centre last week, it appeared that the entire protection services department of the municipality was in attendance.

I joked to a senior officer that the criminals in the town must be enjoying a field day, and he shrugged and said…’we go where we are told’.

While the ruling party assiduously portrays itself as the only saviour of the people, this type of behaviour does little to support this assertion.

HAVE YOUR SAY

Like the South Coast Herald’s Facebook page, follow us on Twitter and Instagram