MyPE

Community Business Directory, Event Listings, News and Views from Gqeberha, Nelson Mandela Bay

Why is the Rand getting healthier?

By

And why Political Parties should be taking notice.

On 3 August 206 MyPE began tweeting the Rand Dollar exchange rate daily at 7:30 am.

Over the last week the rand has been steadily gaining ground on the dollar starting at R14.0332 and today trading at R13.3729 to the dollar.

Could this be as a result of our vigorous elections process demonstrating the power of people and democracy at work?

One wonders what will happen when South Africa demonstrates the first hurdle rarely crossed by an African country: That of changing political parties peacefully and by the power of the ballot.

Click on the image below to see all the #RandHealthCheck Tweets by MyPE.

Rand Health Check
Rand Health Check

For African Countries in the period 1990 to 2012 – 23% of all elections resulted in an alteration of party at the polls. In comparison during the years 1960 to 1989 only 11% of elections resulted in an alteration of political party. In 2013 there were 34 leaders of African countries that had been in power for more that 20 years (Source: ISPI *)

* In 2013 these African countries had leaders who had ruled for 20 years and more: Omar Bongo (Gabon) 42 years, Gnassingbé Eyadéma (Togo) 38 years, Josè Eduardo dos Santos (Angola) 34 years, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo (Equatorial Guinea) 34 years, Félix Houphouët Boigny (Cote d’Ivoire) 33 years, Haile Selassie I (Ethiopia) 33 years, Robert Mugabe (Zimbabwe) 33 years, Joseph-Désiré Mobutu (Congo years, Dem. Rep.) 32 years, Paul Bija (Cameroon) 31 years, Hastings Banda (Malawi) 30 years, Mswati III (Swaziland) 30 years, Dawda Jawara (Gambia) 29 years, William Tubman (Liberia) 27 years, France-Albert René (Seychelles) 27 years, Kenneth Kaunda (Zambia) 27 years, Yoweri Museveni (Uganda) 27 years, Ahmed Sékou Touré (Guinea) 26 years, Blaise Compaoré (Burkina Faso) 26 years, Lansana Conté (Guinea) 24 years, Daniel arap Moi (Kenya) 24 years, Julius Nyerere (Tanzania) 24 years, Omar Al-Bashir (Sudan) 24 years, Moussa Traoré (Mali) 23 years, Idriss Déby (Chad) 23 years, Ahmadou Ahidjo (Cameroon) 22 years, Hassan Gouled Aptidon (Djibouti) 22 years, Mohamed Siad Barre (Somalia) 22 years, Meles Zenawi (Ethiopia) 21 years, Maaouya Ould Sid’Ahmed Taya (Mauritania) 21 years, Juvénal Habyarimana (Rwanda) 21 years, Léopold Sédar Senghor (Senegal) 21 years, Isaias Afewerki (Eritrea) 20 years, Jerry Rawlings (Ghana) 20 years and Leabua Jonathan (Lesotho) 20 years.

Look at the Top 10 economies in Africa as reported by the World bank in 2013:

  1. Nigeria
  2. South Africa
  3. Egypt
  4. Algeria
  5. Angola
  6. Morocco
  7. Libya
  8. Sudan
  9. Kenya
  10. Ghana

Only Angola, Kenya and Ghana appear on both the above lists – more reasons for South Africa to demonstrate a healthy democracy by crossing that hurdle of a change in the ruling party.

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Alan Straton

Chief Cook, Bottle Washer and Broom Mechanic at MyPE
Passionate about Port Elizabeth and definitely NOT packing for Perth. Alan's ethos is epitomised in the words of Nelson Mandela; "I have fought against white domination and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the idea of a democratic and free society. If need be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die." See more articles by Alan.