The age of self-interest and wealth destruction is upon us. Everywhere you look, people are struggling to survive. Food, transport, education, health and insurance costs keep on increasing while our government demands more taxes via value-added tax and personal income tax.

South Africans have their backs against the wall with a limping foot and missing arm. Then along comes a set of zombie state-owned enterprises, protected by the ANC government too proud to privatise these failing entities and too scared to confront unions who are bullying these entities into more wages and more bonuses while they commit treason, yes treason, in vandalising national key points.

The transport system is in a mess with taxis running riot, buses often on strike and trains being burnt. The government wage bill is out of hand, it keeps growing and the monster of the public sector will not rest until it has eaten the very heart out of SA.

Debt is on the rise, people are using debt to buy food and use debt to pay off other debt; it's a debt trap that will spiral out of control and lead to desperation and violence.

The economy has hit another recession with the rand plummeting and stock markets on the ropes.

Where art thou, o hero [President Cyril] Ramaphosa? Ramaphosa is weak and compromised. He cannot control the unions or the internal Zuma factions fighting to get back into the looting seat.

He has put the ANC first, like Zuma and his accomplices did for nine years, pillaging and hollowing out SA's body like carnivorous hyenas.

Those that can get out of SA are dusting off their passports - and why not? Only a coalition national government will put the brakes on a plane-crashing SA economy.

Zurayda Abrahams

Jubilee Park, Uitenhage