CHINESE BEHIND LAND GRAB
The land grabs is still very murky but more information is surfacing daily. The latest is it is now looking at facilitating Chinese expansion by grabbing the mineral rights that are found on these farms.
Out of the original batch of 193 farms that was originally listed, over 130 are rich in minerals required by the Chinese to expand their industrial network. The Government has tried to steal two farms at less than 10 percent of the market value under the pretext of expropriation for the people. The truth is the Chinese government needs the coal for it's plans.
There is a massive investment of $10 Billion to be run out by Chinese government controlled companies in the Musina-Makhado special economic zone. These two farms fall into that zone and the coal is required for power stations and steel factories.
The big issue which the greed is hiding is that by helping the Chinese get their hands on free coal and government assistance they will in fact create havoc in an industry that is already suffering. These Chinese companies will then compete against the local steel companies forcing them to shut down with thousands of job losses. Not only will their be job losses but towns built around the steel plants will most likely collapse as well. Communities have been built around these towns and would be disastrous for the entire region.
Another worry is there is no record of studies on the impact to the area that is now proposed. These studies take years to compile and need to take all things that could be affected including the South African Steel industry itself as a whole.
Africa has for years sold out to the Chinese and allowed them to rape the land for some kick backs that only a few benefit from. The consequences are felt for years and the ones who passed it through will be long gone. The quicker this government disappears the better as they are no better than the last. The people of Africa are not smart and have allowed their leaders to literally get away with murder.
This happens to Africa because Africans tend to be short-term thinkers without any inclination to build networks of trust and co-operation beyond blood or tribal ties. The corruption and general lack of trust(worthiness) in Africa is hard to believe unless one experiences it oneself or hears about it from those who've experienced it first hand. I've heard all kinds of stories from a cousin of mine, a geographer who spent a year as an exchange student in Namibia, a minister of the church who baptized my older nephew who spent years as a missionary in Tanzania, and some friends who've traveled in Africa.
All I can say is that the continent is utterly hopeless except for little one thing offering a glimmer of hope: cryptographically secured distributed ledger technology. Digitalization is also a fact in Africa. Smartphone proliferation is remarkable. Decentralize everything possible and use rules enforced by protocol as a trust prosthetic. This won't do any good in the physical realm, of course, but as economic activities increasingly migrated to the digital realm the benefits of this approach will become increasingly apparent.
@tarazkp and others, what's your take on this?
The stupid Authoritarian rulers will still find ways to frustrate decentralization. It is a sad case indeed
I wouldn't expect all smooth sailing to a happy conclusion but decentralization could still be of great help. Also, authoritarian rulers are far from being the only problem. Let me illustrate the depth of the lack of trust(worthiness) that I'm talking about with a couple of anecdotes. The minister who christened my nephew had worked as a missionary in Tanzania for years. He told me that in a Tanzanian state hospital injection needles had to be reused because of a lack of funds. Sterilizing the needles was absolutely vital but it wasn't done because the nurses whose job it was were too lazy to do their job. In Namibia, where a cousin of mine spent a year as an exchange student the distance between the university campus and the town centre of the capital was one kilometer. Walking it was out of the question because the very high probability of being mugged in broad daylight. The campus had armed guards. During night time, it was advisable to stay in one's room because, there was a high risk of being mugged by the guards. If you lent a pen to a fellow student at the university, there was virtually zero chance of ever seeing it again.
Blaming the rulers is nothing but a cop out. When the people themselves are like that as in demonstrating precisely zero concern over what happens to other people unless they are your own family, decentralization is the only hope. When the people are like that, the government will inevitably be but a criminal organization masquerading as a government. I'm sure the people wouldn't fuck over their own family or extended family like that. But strangers are nothing but prey to them. There is no society except in name only in those two countries and very likely anywhere else in Sub-Saharan Africa, either.
Africa as a whole is guaranteed to fall pray to actual nations on other continents like China now or European powers 150 years ago. It will be fucked up beyond all recognition by the Chinese if it doesn't get its act together.
Hi markku. Thought I would dig deeper. You are 100 percent right and it is too late. Post coming now and it is bad.
The Chinese have been surveying parts of Africa for the last 2 decades as well as sending thousands of teachers and doctors. China is getting too expensive I assume but they need a somewhat educated and healthy population to continue their production schedules.
I have heard similar things and the Chinese are changing as they want more, like everyone else now.
about 15 years ago I heard that if everyone in China who could drive had a car, they would need a car park the size of France.
I blame the African leaders who sell out their own people for peanuts. China may have done a lot for the continent, but it is largely There to better its own citizens
African leaders are governed by money and nothing else. They don't care about tomorrow as they will just leave with their riches and leave the people with the mess.
In all fairness China has done more for African development than any other nation - African and non African. You can't blame them for looking after their interests, you can only blame our leaders for being stupid
Look at my post tonight and maybe you will change your mind. I read what you had said and I think the total opposite besides the dumb officials.
That Map makes for some interesting reading . It's news to me that they are so involved in Africa as a continent
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They are so involved that a friend of mine used to work in Sierra Leone and the hotel's menu was in Chinese. They are everywhere and treat the local people really badly.
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howdy sir cryptoandcoffee! how man, this is the first I've heard about the Chinese being involved but it makes perfect sense as they are taking over the whole world as far as natural resources. dang.
It's kind of like how the Russians have infiltrated the US of A . I hope @janton has a good Kalinka dance ready.
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what? the Russians are here? do they have good beer?
I hear your supreme overlord leader with the dodgy do has a cabinet full of vodka.
ahha! the dodgy do! lol. you're probably just jealous of that but he's actually a tea toteler or how ever you say that, he doesn't drink but he doesn't need to in order to be crazy as a loon!
supreme overlord..lol...he wants to be a king or dictator like his new pudgy little friend in korea.
Imagine if he had a few pints. We d all be goners. 😂😂
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well he does want to change the world for the "better" sir blanchy so he may before his term is up!