[Armstrong Econ] South Africa is desperate for allies, economic allies. The country is failing and the people are suffering. There is international outrage right now misdirected at South Africa for its desire to host the Bric summit with Russia, China, Brazil, and India. The International Criminal Court (ICC) wants to arrest Putin for his war crimes, and President Cyril Ramaphosa is defending his position to invite Putin before the invitations for the event have even gone out. I warned that countries who were previously banned from discussions at the big table would turn to China and Russia for support since the West has abandoned them. "What about Ukraine!" the media cries. Well, what about South Africa? No one comments that the conditions in South Africa are WORSE than in Ukraine during an active war.
South Africa was in a bad spot economically long before COVID. GDP grew by a mere 1% between 2012 and 2021, according to the World Bank. The nation’s entire infrastructure is crumbling, and the power grid is on the verge of complete failure. Blackouts are common, and many blame state-owned power plant Eskom which routinely cuts off the power grid to produce "rolling blackouts" to conserve power. These "rolling blackouts" can last over 12 hours. This affects fuel availability, phone and internet coverage, traffic lights, power to hospitals, etc. It also limits the availability of food and water. Crime is more prevalent during blackouts as there are no cameras or security systems. Rape and crimes against women are disgustingly common. Civil unrest is so prevalent that the president issued a "state of disaster" warning on February 9, long after the situation became irreparable.
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