At some point, every fool must learn. Our collective falsified thinking that education and competence are not important has proved itself. The ANC, which has deployed 80% if not more of public servants across national, provincial and local government and state-owned entities, is suffering from a complex and specific case of both cognitive bias and meta-cognitive ability called The Dunning- Kruger effect.
We have over the years underestimated the depth of damage and extent of devastation that the overconfidence of people unskilled at a particular task can cause. This ultimately becomes a vicious cycle of ignorant and arrogant people with dangerous incompetence at the most critical and strategic functions or even at the leadership positions entrusted with complex tasks of building a nation or an organisation.
For our errors in judgement, we have paid with our rates and taxes deprivation of basic services. We must now work our way out of the darkness that we are literally plunged into called load shedding. I am struck by what seems to be rampant fear creeping also into coalition politics, leaving strong potential leaders powerless in making any meaningful contributions and decisions for tangible change.
We are now forced to sit and reflect deeply. As various political parties, we have been sucked back into the same whirlpool of cadres who desecrated the value of education, the right skills, the right people in right positions, and continue with our help in the name of coalition, to reduce public service to easy access to resources, tender and service of our selfish interests.