12 Billion Rand development on ice... Why?

antowan

antowan

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The single rail link between Soweto and JHB was the best idea from local government in years. I am sure most people would agree. National government as it turns out wasn't briefed on this and has been lashing the folks at local government about this oversight. This raises a few questions:

1. Why can Local Government not act alone in some instances?
2. Why is national government so extremely aggressive about this?

This smacks of what we've seen so many times in the rest of the 3rd world (especially Africa) that the big honchos need to be on the take (this means bribed) before any development or new ventures can be undertaken.

If this is a matter of the right people not being bribed first, then we are in for some hard times.
 
The whole idea and feasibility study was a load of rubbish.

Just a Malaysian company trying to make some quick bucks at the expense of South African tax payers.
 
Paul_S said:
The whole idea and feasibility study was a load of rubbish.

Just a Malaysian company trying to make some quick bucks at the expense of South African tax payers.
Click to expand...

Maybe, but perhaps it was the pressure from the basically untaxxed taxi industry that saw this as a threat to their largely unregulated, tax "dodging", industry. Even if the Malaysian people made money from us (why didn't we have that idea first?), the relief on the traffic congestion on JHB's already stressed road infrastructure would surely counterway that effect. The Malaysian company would have to have a large portion of AA canidates (again, helping the local labour market and SARS). Also, the upkeep of the trains would be their problem (but I think SA insurances in general may go up), and not that of metro-rail or other government linked company.

Oh well, perhaps hell would freeze over before we even have a hope of becoming a developed country in the next decade or few.
 
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