Vavi’s bizarre world

Welcome to the brave new world of Vavinomics, inspired by the immaculate Zwelinzima Vavi, Cosatu general secretary and clearly the best-dressed man in the low-price range, given that he claims to have take-home pay of R10 000 a month.

As befits a representative of ordinary working people, Vavi campaigns ceaselessly on their behalf. Among the platforms of his campaign is the demand that we abandon the fiscal and monetary policies pursued by Reserve Bank governor, Tito Mboweni, and Finance Minister Trevor Manuel.

Vavinomics seeks aggressive deficit spending on, presumably, both the current account of the balance of payments (already in dire straits) and, for example, on expanding grants to more millions of people than are already in receipt of them.

A good 25% of the population have state grants as their only source of income, which surely means that over time, future generations of these products of a dependence culture will be condemned to sterile existences lacking the self-respect and satisfaction provided only by work.

Vavi and his fellow traveller, Irvin Jim, leader of the National Union of Metalworkers, demand that Manuel and Mboweni abide by the left-wing resolutions at the ANC conference at Polokwane or resign. Under Vavinomics, the nation’s retirement funds, designed to provide pensioners with support in their old age, will be plundered to subsidise social investment projects – whatever that might mean.

Years ago I appeared on a television programme with Vavi, who struck me, even then, as extremely well-dressed for a union official. Coming from a family of trade unionists, I was not unfamiliar with their usual cheap and casual form of dress.

I recall Vavi’s strident demand that his movement wanted not only jobs, but “quality” jobs.

By this he no doubt meant medical aid, pension plans, holidays, sick leave and the other benefits for which unions fight. When unions win such battles, it is often a two-edged sword.

General Motors is now bankrupt, partly because its assembly workers cost it R750 an hour. They are not worth R750 an hour. They cannot compete with workers at Toyota and Honda and Hyundai who earn a fraction of that and are more productive.

Vavi bleats about the billions the developed world is pumping into its banks and asks why this cannot go to the poor. It appears to escape him that when the banking system grinds to a halt, as it did in 1929, the entire system shuts down. He should look closer to home before he blames the capitalists.

For a decade-and-a-half the ANC has run SA. All evidence suggests it is rotten to the core, incompetent and arrogant. There are people begging in the streets while BEE beneficiaries cruise by in expensive cars.

An education system that could have equipped our young has been destroyed.

Billions have been squandered on arms which we cannot use or maintain.

Our roads are a crumbling mess, our water supply is polluted and in danger of running out, our power supply is under threat, institutions such as the Land Bank are in ruins, once thriving farms lie desolate.