I do not think members and leaders of the ANC know where public money comes from. This is clearly visible in how they have been defending the ANC since the 2014 election campaign started.
Firstly, it is visible from the rhetorical responses of party members. For example, if someone said the party has meant nothing for them since 1994 the defence of party members would be by pointing out all of the services that have been delivered since 1994 and to make matters worse they do it in an arrogantly manner which imply that you need to be grateful. What they normally forget is that they are not doing South Africans a favour they (the ANC led government) is just fulfilling the social contract they signed-up for. The social contract works like this. Citizens elect a government who will use their money (the public money/taxes) to deliver services citizens need. The ANC and its members usually see it the other way around. The ANC promises certain services and in the process not just only denying the social contract but also make it as they are doing citizens a favour, which is all wrong.
Secondly, it is visible in how the ANC led government spend public funds. Every year the Auditor General is reporting about the increasing number of wasteful expenditure that amounts to 100s of millions of Rand. Once elected into government they starting to living the life they always dreamed of - the life of the Kardashians. They spent public funds like it grow on a tree somewhere in the garden of the Union Buildings or Nkandla which is protected by the SANDF.
Thirdly, it is visible in the way they (the President included) defend Nkandla and other corruption scandals. So far the total cost of the security upgrades to Zuma's private residence Nkandla are sold to the public as the President did nothing wrong. They also have the attitude as they do not know what the big fuss is about and that it is only over R240 million. One ANC member on Facebook even said that we think the President's house must look like that of our fathers' and if it was a white president there would have been no fuss. The issue they clearly miss is that it is R240 of public money; money that was collected in taxes from working South Africans; the ones who wake up every morning at five o'clock, who have to take two trains just to get to work on time and that for less R6000 which in the end of the day is taxed. It is heart breaking for any tax paying South African to see that kind of ignorance.
Their ignorance is based on their level of understanding - they really do not know where public money come from and what people have to go through just to make their contribution to a better life for all.
In their defence I do not think they have a clue where this money came from. I have to be honest it took me a whole semester studying public finance to fully comprehend this. For those ANC members reading this (please share this with the President), it normally works like this. We elect a parliament which is a representation of ordinary South Africans who is responsible for collecting and spending taxes. Sometimes some of these duties are delegated to more technically equipped institutions like SARS and the National Treasury. Based on the plans and the needs of the people tax targets are set every year. This is where things get interesting. The target will determine how much tax each South African must pay. SARS is tasked to collect these taxes. The task of the National Treasury is to provide Parliament (who is supposed to represent us) with a forecast of expenditure over the next couple years. This usually take place in October. Once Parliament is satisfied with the forecast it will task the National Treasury to draw up a budget for the next coming year which is usually tabled in February during the budget speech. After the speech, Parliament will look at the budget, debate it and approve it. It is only after this that public money can be used (which was collected the previous year) towards the services planned for in the budget.
Thus, it is time for us to re-orientate ourselves. It is time to place us at the receiving end of the social contract which is called democracy. We elect a government because we want them to spend our money so that it benefits us and not them. The ANC and no other political party can claim the right to that money, it is not theirs, it is ours. If the ANC want money they must plant a money tree in Luthuli House or Nkandla and harvest it every year. They can ask the MK veterans to protect it.
