Some signs that SA is falling apart

Which of these has affected you in South Africa

  • Been robbed

    Votes: 69 60.5%

  • Know somebody who'se been robbed

    Votes: 103 90.4%

  • Been violently assaulted

    Votes: 19 16.7%

  • Know somebody who'se been violently assaulted

    Votes: 76 66.7%

  • Experienced more than one day without power in one month

    Votes: 77 67.5%

  • Been hi-jacked

    Votes: 14 12.3%

  • Know of somebody who'se been hi-jacked

    Votes: 83 72.8%

  • Been mugged

    Votes: 25 21.9%

  • Know of somebody who was mugged

    Votes: 83 72.8%

  • Had a break in into your car

    Votes: 77 67.5%
  • Total voters
    114
supersunbird

supersunbird

Honorary Master
Joined
Oct 1, 2005
Messages
64,265
Reaction score
17,916
Location
Garsfontein, Pretoria
- Soft drink shortages: the old one of december and current one, where you struggle to find 500ml cokes and similar things.

- Milk shortages

- Petrol shortages

- Electricity shortages

- Gas shortages

- Other shortages: Steers not getting Salt and Sugar sacchets from their factory, some computer parts being frequently in short supply (RAM)

- Lotto taking so long to restart

- eNatis problems

- Lets not even start with crime and the justice system

Some of these things might be minor, others not so. While we have the dreams, we have noone to implement them competently...
 
chiskop said:
How on earth are Steer's problems evidence that SA is falling apart?
Click to expand...

Thats why I said:

supersunbird said:
Some of these things might be minor, others not so.
Click to expand...

:rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

Remember, a dam wall doesnt just suddenly break and flood the valley. First off there woulf be the small microscopic cracks that get more visible as they grow. Small indicators that something is wrong and if heeded can evert disaster...
 
chiskop said:
How on earth are Steer's problems evidence that SA is falling apart?
Click to expand...

If a huge company, with the best possible management cost accountants can not even keep their inventory levels at the required level, how will a small company be able to do that? Simply put, if the big cannot cope, how will small business owners cope?

It is evidence that the economy is in turmoil, it is not predictable. A supplier which cannot deliver is evidence that something is wrong.

A predictable economy allows for high risk high return ventures and high risk high losses. It is great to invest in a developing economy if you are rich and have security already, it is hell for those people stuck in it.
 
I think the infrastructure which is failing, rail roads, roads, electricity, telecommunications are the best indicators.

Economic growth is:
- political stability (one ruling party without opposition is not a democracy)
- well defined laws of ownership (therefore no land expropriation, no crime, which we don't satisfy)
- education (lowest possible standards in the history of RSA, ask a matric to multiply 12*12, if he gets that by sheer memory alone ask him the answer to 12*13. that is maths, never mind reading and comprehension)
- technology (which is limited by Telkom, no research and development of our own, imported TVs is not technology)
 
Another reason: the Bedfordview/Senderwood/Eastgate area has been without power for the last day and a half!
 
supersunbird said:
- Soft drink shortages: the old one of december and current one, where you struggle to find 500ml cokes and similar things.

- Milk shortages

- Petrol shortages

- Electricity shortages

- Gas shortages

- Other shortages: Steers not getting Salt and Sugar sacchets from their factory, some computer parts being frequently in short supply (RAM)

- Lotto taking so long to restart

- eNatis problems

- Lets not even start with crime and the justice system

Some of these things might be minor, others not so. While we have the dreams, we have noone to implement them competently...
Click to expand...

barring the south afrianisms in the above shortages, america and UK have suffered the same shortages so it is nothing to panic about.

the country ran fine without Lotto and as for Steers, it's not like the country relies on steers burgers to function (thank god).

I wouldn't use sensationalist headlines as a dip stick into south africa's future stability. If anything you need to look at our balance sheet, economy and a myriad of other real dip stick measurement systems.

the fact that there are shortages shows a growing base of consumers which is a great thing. Next time they will know to order more.

Besides here is an interesting fact. When lotto first emerged it hit the 'soft' drink industry pretty hard, now that lotto is struggling to resurface no wonder there are shortages of soft drinks :P
 
supersunbird said:
- Soft drink shortages: the old one of december and current one, where you struggle to find 500ml cokes and similar things.

- Milk shortages

- Petrol shortages

- Electricity shortages

- Gas shortages

- Other shortages: Steers not getting Salt and Sugar sacchets from their factory, some computer parts being frequently in short supply (RAM)

- Lotto taking so long to restart

- eNatis problems

- Lets not even start with crime and the justice system

Some of these things might be minor, others not so. While we have the dreams, we have noone to implement them competently...
Click to expand...

Milk is because the farmers are withholding their milk and selling it privately because they are not getting the price that they feel is deserved through official channels.

The soft drink shortage was a result of poor (read as no) planning as CO2 is not considered a strategic resource in SA and is largely a bi-product of other chemical processes. The result was I believe 2 main sources of CO2 going down for maintanance at the same or similar time. I believe that major companies like Coke and SAB Miller are investigating the costs of setting up their own facilities to manufacture/purify this commodity.

Petrol shortage was PetroSA management F'up

Electricity in real terms was not ESKOM's fault but the governments decision to stop building new plants (against advice from ESKOM) and to mothball some coal power plants.

Gas shortage directly a result of the shift to gas due to electricity shortages, not really something that anyone would plan for.

Lotto, connected elite (read as greedy ANC fatcats) and dumbass minister.

eNatis, why is anyone surprised that this is the monumental f'up that it is now? Look at any one of the government departments. The only one that operates with any form of efficiency is SARS, oddly the one that gets the money to the ANC, go figure.

Steers, no comment I'm a Nando's junkie :D

Most of these issues are piss poor management, quite possibly the result of another government policy but hardly signs that our country is falling apart.
The only one issue that is really threatening is crime.
The rest are easily corrected if there is the will.
 
Last edited:
A burger shortage would not bother me as I do not eat burgers.

I do have the common sense to realize a electrical and petrol shortage would affect me.

If electricity is lost in a manufacturing plant the losses are passed on to the consumer who pays a higher price for the goods.

If the oil price goes up, as it would during a shortage, wealth goes down, it is an inverse relationship.

Kenya never had electricity and they don't have manufacturing plants. Kenya has milk shortages and they have famine. Kenya does not have Steers since it is not profitable to invest in the economy there.

It takes 1 hour to go read a few articles which will explain economic theory, I have economics 2. I don't think an uneducated person should play optimist and post if they don't have the credentials, if it be a degree or experience in the actual environment does not matter as such.

Go read a few articles before posting on economics.
 
I wish i could change my heading to "might be falling apart". There is a serious management problem in this country in the public and private sector with no ability for forward planning...
 
Yeh lotta is close, even Teazers is close now , the state of this nation.
 
Sneeky said:
Most of these issues are piss poor management, quite possibly the result of another government policy but hardly signs that our country is falling apart.
The only one issue that is really threatening is crime.
The rest are easily corrected if there is the will.
Click to expand...

Poor management is a symptom of a larger problem, poor education and corruption. If the major corporations are performing poorly it means the economy is performing poorly, if those corporations experience losses, we will experience losses. If the economy performs poorly, the country is falling apart.
 
which will explain economic theory
Click to expand...
That's right - theory. And you should also know that there are no economic theories that fit the real world. If there were a single perfect theory that was fully applicable to a real economy everyone would be rushing to apply it.
 
edc said:
It takes 1 hour to go read a few articles which will explain economic theory, I have economics 2. I don't think an uneducated person should play optimist and post if they don't have the credentials, if it be a degree or experience in the actual environment does not matter as such.
Click to expand...

Then you will know shortages have got to do with supply and demand.

but then you have the credentials don't you :rolleyes:
 
noxibox said:
That's right - theory. And you should also know that there are no economic theories that fit the real world. If there were a single perfect theory that was fully applicable to a real economy everyone would be rushing to apply it.
Click to expand...

They are applying it, just not so much in South-Africa. Economic theory is sound, I can argue with socialism and capitalism at the same time, even when the viewpoints oppose.

Theory is based on empirical observations and trends, if the price of oil goes of wealth decreases, an inverse relationship which explains the observations. If you mistrust the theory you can kiss prosperity away.

I know both theories and can take the best from both. Do you know the socialist and capitalist theories by heart?
 
FACT: SA has more cars on the road today then 10 years ago.

FACT: SA has more houses plugged in the power grid then 10 years ago.

FACT: The middle class in SA has grown in the past 10 years

FACT: Shortages occur because of demand.

Are these signs of a country falling apart? No!
 
halicon said:
Then you will know shortages have got to do with supply and demand.

but then you have the credentials don't you :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

Yes I have the credentials, so don't post utter nonsense if you don't even have the basic knowledge of the subject available to everyone. You at least know of demand and supply, what are the indicators if a stable growing economy? What are the indicators of a failing economy?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top
Sign up to the MyBroadband newsletter
X