On the global news front, I have been watching one event with special attention, mainly because it seems like almost no one else is. I am speaking of course about the social and economic collapse in South Africa that has been escalating over the past couple of weeks. What is strange to me is that certain parallels between South Africa and the U.S. are being summarily ignored.
First, we need to examine a CliffNotes version of the South African situation:
The country’s government under the ANC (African National Congress) was already going full communist in 2018-2019 before the COVID pandemic. Under proposed amendments to the Constitution, they demanded that “reparations” be taken from white farmers in the form of land grabs, which would then be redistributed to black citizens. This is the classic critical race theory argument — that because colonialism once existed, all beneficiaries and their supposed descendants owe dues to the descendants of people who lost their lands. The problem is, only the descendants of white colonists are required to pay dues.
I think my take on it is simplified, but I feel this needs to be said because CRT and social justice lunatics tend to over-complicate issues in order to distract from the fundamental realities. Black and brown people invaded each other’s lands and enslaved their neighbors for thousands of years before white people ever showed up on the scene, but that’s all forgotten in the bizarre justifications of critical race theorists. Why are white people the only people that are supposed to pay reparations when the whole world has been killing each other for land and resources since the beginning of recorded history?
Frankly, if your ancestors lost a bunch of land centuries ago to colonists, then perhaps they should have fought harder for it. You don’t get to suddenly wave your hand and magically claim it back through government-enforced imminent domain just because your ancestors sucked at self-defense and you feel jilted by a thin association. Go back in time and tell your great-great-great-grandparents to “get good.”
Of course, today’s communists don’t really fight for anything, at least not directly. I might respect them a little if they did. Rather, they loudly whine that they are “victims” even though they are not, and then demand they be given free stuff for life without any effort. And, since free stuff has to be taken from somewhere, the people that have things are attacked through the color of law even when they did nothing wrong and earned every cent they own.
Communists steal from others through government proxy and by claiming victim group status. They work hand in hand with the very politicians and corporate oligarchs they say they despise. The governments and corporations do it because they can use the Marxist mob as a social weapon to strike fear in their ideological adversaries, and the SJWs do it because they can feed on the scraps from the big boy’s table and use government to forcefully redistribute wealth into their own pockets. It’s kind of a win-win, at least for a while. Eventually, the low-level commies get nailed to a wall or sent to a gulag when they are no longer useful, but that’s a tale for another time…
As international outrage developed over the proposed land confiscation mandates and accusations of reverse racism started to spread, the ANC dialed back their rhetoric and adjusted legislation to confiscate land that was “abandoned, unused or posed safety risks.” Let’s set aside the fact that these requirements are arbitrary and could still be abused by the government to take away land from white owners; for now, we just need to acknowledge that racial tensions were high in a country that has been working hard to deal with its recent segregationist history. The social justice communists made things much worse, not better, as is always the case.
Enter COVID-19…
The South African government’s response to COVID is brutal and ongoing. The lockdowns are some of the strictest in the world with curfews, zero gatherings indoors or outdoors, alcohol bans and travel through certain areas is restricted. A large majority of the population has been blocked from participation in the normal economy. The public has been awaiting economic relief for over a year, but the hype and fear-mongering around the so-called “Delta variant” have dashed all hope. Lockdowns returned in full force in June.
Riots in Johannesburg and elsewhere erupted, with over 200 dead and billions in property damage and theft. In this case, it is hard to outright condemn the looting because the government continues to block citizens from earning a living in the name of COVID. This is on top of South Africa’s already high poverty level and the fact that, unlike the U.S. with its world reserve currency, South Africa does not have the same ability to print stimulus checks from thin air to placate the masses.
Not surprisingly, the ANC refuses to acknowledge that the primary cause of the riots has been their own lockdown policies. Instead, they have blamed the crisis on the arrest of former president Jacob Zuma for contempt of court charges as the trigger. This may have added gasoline to the fire, but it was not the cause. When the government is actively sabotaging the ability of millions of people to work and feed their families, the only other option left for most is theft or revolution.
Supply chains in the country have been completely disrupted and the only retail outlets with stock are those protected by the military or those protected by business owners armed with guns and baseball bats. Only 6 percent of the population is allowed to own firearms under South Africa’s gun control bureaucracy and red tape. The government has a near-monopoly on force, and it is unlikely that the mobs will change much in terms of policy, but they do make life hell for the rest of the population.
The civil unrest in this region is, in my opinion, a preview of what is to come in the U.S. and other western nations. We have already seen riots in France and other parts of the western world over legislation that would make the experimental mRNA vaccines mandatory through vaccine passports. I would point out that the liberty media has warned over and over that governments would try to enforce vaccine passports and make vaccines mandatory. We were called “conspiracy theorists” for this; now we are proven right once again.
There are some differences between the U.S. and South Africa in terms of motivations and economy, but the gap is not as wide as some might think.
South Africa’s unemployment rate and poverty rates appear much higher, but the U.S. has the ability to hide real poverty through temporary stimulus measures, welfare programs and eviction moratoriums. When the COVID checks run out and evictions return, we are going to see a massive spike in poverty levels in the U.S. once again. Furthermore, price inflation has hit 30-year highs due to trillions in money printing and dollar devaluation, along with struggling supply chains. For now, increased demand created by COVID checks is giving the illusion that the economy is in recovery, but just as home sales are now plunging after a short-term spike, so too will demand in most sectors of the economy.
This does not mean that prices will fall with demand, however. For example, lumber prices are in decline, but after rising by 300 percent they have a long way to go and will probably never go back to their pre-pandemic levels. When demand is falling but price inflation continues to rise or remains high, this is a sign of a stagflationary crisis. And if this is the case, then the U.S. economy will falter dramatically in the coming months, leading to poverty levels similar to South Africa. Money printing is a temporary fix that leads to long-term disasters.
Beyond the economic situation, race-related tensions have been dragged through the mud by cultural Marxist crazies and critical race peddlers to the point that we have actually gone backward socially. This is not to say that all minorities are on the side of the communists. In fact, it appears that there is a considerable push-back against CRT by numerous minority groups. The problem is, there are still enough useful idiots out there to destroy half of the cities in the U.S. and crush the supply chain if they are left unchecked.
The Biden administration also continues to push for total vaccination of Americans despite all science running contrary to his initiatives and claims. As I outlined previously, the facts on COVID do not support vaccine mandates or passports, and this is why around half the U.S. population continues to defy the restrictions and refuses to take the jab. The only reason why medical tyranny has been beaten back in the U.S. is that around 50 percent of U.S. households are armed. We are not yet South Africa because of our gun rights, so be thankful for the millions of gun owners out there creating a deterrent to tyranny.
But reality is not going to stop the COVID cult from pursuing its agenda. They are going to continue to ignore the fact that natural immunity is a part of herd immunity. They are going to continue to ignore the fact that COVID infections and deaths dropped off a cliff in January 2021 well before the vaccines were rolled out in the U.S.
The science is unimportant to them. COVID is only a tool for gaining control. They do not care about public safety in the slightest.
So, it is only a matter of time before a COVID variant (like the Delta variant) is used as an excuse to bring back lockdowns across the country. And make no mistake, they will attempt harsher and harsher mandates similar to those in South Africa in order to intimidate people into submitting to the jab and the passports. At this stage, the U.S. government will have not only mass riots on their hands, but also an armed rebellion. Undoubtedly, supply chains will crash if they have not already been disrupted by lockdowns or a related financial crisis.
The question at that point will be this: Who will rebuild? If it’s the elites and the COVID cult, then freedom will disappear forever. If it’s liberty-minded people, then there might be a chance to bring our civilization back from the brink. Everything depends on who is left standing after the chaos subsides.
South Africa is a warning to Americans: Do not get too comfortable. Do not get complacent. Be ready for the next shoe to drop. Prepare accordingly and understand that a fight is coming.
The establishment will place its bets that the unrest and economic disaster will create manufactured consent. They believe that the public will be sufficiently desperate and will beg for totalitarianism as a solution. Do not find yourself among the desperate, and if you can, organize your community to weather the storm.
Finally, always remember who the people are that caused this mess in the first place. Rioters and looters are going to be a problem, but they are not the true enemy. The people behind the curtain need to be dealt with first if we are ever going to find peace again.
Written by Brandon Smith
