South Africa has been an unsteady boat on the rocks recently, from student protests and escalating gang violence in Johannesburg to being greylisted by the Financial Action Task Force for not complying with international standards in combating money laundering and other serious financial crimes.
On Top of that, the US embassy warned its citizens living and travelling to South Africa, amid the ongoing load-shedding, the electricity crisis could lead to spikes in crime and civil unrest. February 24 also marked the first anniversary since Russia Invaded Ukraine.
Ongoing Student Protests
Students have taken to the streets in ongoing demonstrations to address multiple issues, including financial exclusions, water shortages and student accommodation, or lack thereof, resulting in students sleeping in libraries, amongst other places.
The Student Representative Council said in various social media posts, “The protest is for all students who haven’t registered due to financial exclusion. It’s for all students sleeping in labs and libraries. It’s for all students who are expected to attend class on an empty stomach because they haven’t received allowances … It’s for all students who cannot afford the 10k to move in at residence.”
A statement released by Wits Senior Executive Members said the protests have come as a “surprise” as management has been working alongside the SRC over the past few weeks to secure funding for “academically deserving students”. But we are concerned for all students, are we not?
Regarding accommodation, Wits allocated 350 beds to assist students in need, including those sleeping in unorthodox spaces. The most important question here is, and it’s the most obvious, where will the beds go? Back in the labs and libraries, I presume.
Down the road, students at the University of Johannesburg have held similar demonstrations. They have also included the student allowances as a point of grievance, and the continuous water outages. The future leaders of South Africa has vowed to continue their demonstrations until their needs are met.
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Fifty Shades of South Africa
In the 2023 budget speech, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana warned of the possibility the FATF might greylist South Africa. And days later, we were placed on the list, dulling the vibrant colours of our rainbow nation.
In December 2022, the government gazetted legislation to tighten deficiencies in what is viewed as a last-ditch effort to avoid the naughty list.
The Finance Minister said, “The laws address 15 of the 20 legislative deficiencies identified by FATF. The remaining five deficiencies will be addressed through regulations and practices that do not require legislation … Addressing the FATF issues is part of the broader fight against corruption, crime, state capture and the deliberate weakening of the institutions of law and order in our country.”
What are the implications of being greylisted? To give you an idea, the rand slumped immediately after the announcement by the FATF.
Salaamedia reported, “While the short-term implications are fairly minimal, the long-term implications can be quite severe. A report by research firm, Intellidex noted that capital flows, direct investment and portfolio inflows all decline after a country is greylisted.”
However, President Ramaphosa said, “The situation is concerning but less dire than some people suggest”. That’s comforting, given the amount of expressive speech used by the news media in the coverage of the announcement, indicating the world might end.
He added, “We have gone through a rigorous process of addressing the issues that FATF has raised with us. The fundamentals are in place, and we know what we need to do to get off the grey list. We are determined to do this as quickly as possible. This is important not only for our international standing but also for our own ability to fight these crimes in our country.”
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US Issues Warnings, Again
Last year the US issued a warning of a possible terrorist attack to occur in Johannesburg. This year days after President Ramaphosa announced the state of disaster on the country’s electricity crisis, the US embassy issued another warning to its citizens residing in and travelling to South Africa regarding the possibility of a spike in crime due to the ongoing blackouts.
“Ongoing conditions have led to an increase in protests and demonstrations, and in some cases civil unrest, throughout the country.”
The statement paints South Africa in a dystopian reality of novel proportions, encouraging its citizens to stockpile essential supplies such as food, water and medication. Slightly extreme but understandable
The Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Naledi Pandor, said the statement was “surprising and odd”.
She added, “I don’t recall such alerts when California had similar blackouts and outages. I found it a rather odd warning, but there have been many of these surprise warnings, and none of what is warned about has come to fruition.”
The Minister and I share the sentiments. What is interesting, though, is the timing of the statement as it coincided roughly with the time frame of the maritime exercises between the SANDF and their “friends”, as Minister Pandor put it. The two incidents, though speculative, couldn’t be related, could they? No, it couldn’t because politics can’t be that petty.
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Israeli Forces Raid Nablus Once More
February 24 marks the first anniversary since Russia invaded Ukraine. To mourn and commemorate the casualties of the war, multiple European countries, including the UN Security Council, held a minute of silence in solidarity with Ukraine.
However, a few days earlier, Israeli forces conducted a daytime raid in Nablus, killing 11 Palestinians and injuring over 100 more. The city of Nablus and the surrounding area in the Westbank have endured ongoing violence perpetrated by Israeli forces and settlers.
Al Jazeera reported that Israeli settlers have carried out over 300 attacks against Palestinian villages in the Nablus area, including violent assaults, shootings and arson.
The Israeli forces and settlers have killed approximately 67 people since the start of the year. Yet, there are no vigils and memorials for the Palestinians. Just more silence and inactivity, which is ironic.
Though things may be bleak, there is hope for the future. Hope that universities will see to the needs of their students. Hope that in June, South Africa will correct its deficiencies in the eyes of the FATF and hope that one day Palestinians will be free.
