What is State Capture and why should I care?

I am just a normal, taxpaying citizen. I don`t really think I have anything to offer to the political arena, save my singular vote every five years. Buzzwords often used in print and electronic media means little to me, except maybe to highlight or exaggerate the current state of our politics. So, hearing the term “state capture” has become to me the same as hearing “radical economic transformation”, “fees must fall”, “tax revolt” or “suffering state owned enterprises”. It’s all mumbo jumbo and honestly, I couldn’t care less. I have bills to pay. Deadlines to meet. Kids to raise. Debts to climb.

Should I care about the buzz term of 2017, State Capture? Will it disappear into the yonder once the current, vrot crop of political leaders are replaced, come 2018?

State Capture today. Rugby World Cup tomorrow. Whatever sells newspapers.

It’s not that simple. You see, the state makes up almost a third of our entire economy. Someone is literally trying to steal a third of our EVERYTHING. Imagine waking up and one of your kids are gone. Or you check your bank account and 33% of the money has suddenly been deducted. Or you get your payslip and you now earn only 66% of what you did. Frightening, hey?

And that is why you should care.

You should care when you, or someone you love, die in a state hospital because there is no money for even the most basic medicine or equipment.

You should care when you starve because you cannot afford necessities like bread or maize because the prices have gone up that much, but your salary not.

You should care when your life is endangered on overloaded trains and dilapidated rail infrastructure because there is no money for upkeep and maintenance.

You should care when you write off your care because of a pothole because there is no money to fix the roads.

You should care when you live out your pension now, in the present, to pay for taxes like extolls, Fuel Levy and Health Insurance, because the money we usually relied on, has disappeared.

You should care when your children have Matric certificates which means nothing because there is no money to properly train and educate teachers and neither is there any money to help them study further.

You should care when you get raped, mugged or murdered because there is no money for more policemen, equipment or ambulances.

You should care when your food money or savings goes for electricity and water because the prices have been pushed up by 400% the past decade.

You should care when you open your tap or flush your toilet and there is no water or raw sewerage runs down the street because there is no money for water or waste treatment works.

You should care when you stand in a line for your state pension, your child support or disability grant and you are told: "There is no money."

You should care when every state institution, every backbone of our economy, every little support for the poor, the destitute and the vulnerable crumbles into nothing but decay and ineptness.

You should care.