For some reason known only to politicians and civil servants, the UK government has been giving millions of pounds in overseas aid to South Africa. Now, that aid is to stop, though not until 2015, and the South African government is pretty miffed that it will lose the current £19 million, claiming that they were not properly consulted and that the loss of the money will have "far-reaching implications"
Why the UK government should have had to 'consult' the South African lot before making a decision regarding its own finances is beyond me. If I decide to stop a subscription to a charity, I don't expect to have to consult them first; the consequences of my actions are for them to deal with. In the case of South Africa, the UK's contribution is, indeed, no more than a charitable donation, the use of which could well be open to question. In addition, South Africa has the some of the largest reserves of gold, diamonds and other precious minerals in the world - why on earth should it need a piddling £19 million in aid from the UK ?
The truth is that South Africa, in common with most other countries on that continent, is a nation in crisis; its politicians and governments are corrupt and it's riven by tribal divisions. It makes no difference what natural resources these countries have nor how much foreign aid is pumped in, the lot of their common people will continue to be dreadful. There is no easy answer to their problems, but stopping overseas aid is probably more positive than negative; if only other countries would do the same, these backward nations may just realise that they need to stand on their own two feet at last.
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