'SA's incapable government and consequent inequality has set this tinderbox aflame' - Piet Viljoen

Counterpoint's Piet Viljoen, who BizNews founder Alec Hogg often refers to as ‘the most rational person he knows’, joined the BizNews Power Hour today - with his first comment being that it is super hard to to stay rational in times like these. Viljoen believes that the civil unrest that has been raging in parts of South Africa over the last few days may be a watershed for this country and that ‘things could either change for the positive or for the negative, but things will have to change.’ Viljoen says that the thing that struck him most was the complete absence of government, and that it is this continuation of this incapable government that has led to the massive inequality. The crux of the issue, Viljoen states, is that the disempowered portion of the population has just become bigger as a result of lockdowns and other associated measures to fight the pandemic. Viljoen also provides an alternative perspective on communities pulling together to fend for themselves. While he admits that it is a positive thing for communities, he notes that it will lead to large parts of the infrastructure falling away if it starts to replace the state. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices