In the past few weeks I have written about GMO’s, petrol prices, the South African Reserve Bank and banks in general including the World Bank and International Monetary Fund. Henry Kissinger observed that “Who controls the food supply controls the people; who controls the energy can control whole continents; who controls money can control the world.”

Kissinger is one of the guys who worked at the US State Department. That foreboding quote is not said as a benevolent gesture to warn the people to beware of the nefarious intentions of those who control the world. It is what he and his fellow proponents of “the new world order” are pursuing. These groups of globalists, in fact, control the world’s food supply through their companies that control the world’s food, beverages and agriculture production industry. They are:

This is what Oxfam said about these companies:

“The agriculture and food production industry employed more than one billion people as of last year, or a third of the global workforce. While the industry is substantial, a relatively small number of companies wield an enormous amount of influence.

“In its 2013 report, "Behind the Brands," Oxfam International focused on 10 of the world's biggest and most influential food and beverage companies. These corporations are so powerful that their policies can have a major impact on the diets and working conditions of people worldwide, as well as on the environment. Based on the report, these are the 10 companies that control the world's food.

“In an interview with 24/7 Wall St., Chris Jochnick, director of the private sector department at Oxfam America, discussed the impact that these 10 companies have on the world. “If you look at the massive global food system, it's hard to get your head around. Just a handful of companies can dictate food choices, supplier terms and consumer variety," Jochnick said.

Africa has massive land mass so why do we have to depend on Europe and America for our food supply to the extent of having to be forced to renew AGOA and import poisoned chicken which the American people themselves do not want to consume?

Angola alone can supply Southern African countries with food if it can be completely demined. South Africa is also an agricultural country. Botswana is underutilised in agricultural production, it relies heavily on diamonds. There is also Mozambique, Malawi, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Southern Africa can be self-reliant. Why do we have to be fed GMO’s that have the potential to alter our genetic makeup?

These western food and agricultural companies employ 1 billion people. We have high unemployment rates but we do not take advantage of the food producing industry to create the most needed jobs in that sector and the skills that go with it. Agricultural colleges have been closed and high schools no longer offer Agriculture as a subject. Instead, useless subjects have been introduced. The government tried to introduce Mandarin in schools about two years ago. Are we going to eat Mandarin?

Electricity is too expensive in South Africa and Eskom is indebted to the World Bank. The ANC borrowed $850,000 before it even formed a government.  What is the rationale behind taking a loan when the country is rich in minerals and other resources? The price of petrol is crazy. Petrol and electricity are energy whose prices are controlled from abroad.

“I care not what puppet is placed on the throne of England to rule the empire. The man who controls Britain’s money supply controls the British Empire and I control the British money supply,”Nathan Mayer Rothschild observed about two centuries ago.

Those who own and control the South African Reserve Bank care not what puppet is placed on the throne of the Union Building. Those who control South Africa’s money supply control South Africa and the SARB controls South Africa’s money supply.

If you reread Henry Kissinger’s foreboding quote and Nathan Mayer Rothschild’s quote, you will notice that that is what is happening in your own country. Opposition political parties in parliament have barely scratched the surface when it comes to European and American hegemony. Instead they focus on side issues and bark at one another.

Anton Lembede died at the age of 33 and led the ANCYL at about 30. He was advocating Africanism and the liberation of the African continent. At the age of 24 at Fort Hare, Robert Sobukwe’s message that championed Pan Africanism and the liberation of Africa was clear. Steve Biko who was killed at the age of 30 spoke of mental liberation, unity and non-collaboration with the west before he was even 30. Onkgopotse Tiro shook the citadels of white supremacy from their very foundations, supported Pan Africanist ideas when he called for universal education and said, “Of what use will be your education (if it) is not linked with the entire continent of Africa (? It) is meaningless.”

Today’s politicians enjoy fat cheques and perks in parliament and have veered away from the liberation politics. Africans must through a concerted effort fight to get back their country and continent in order to determine their destiny as African people. 

The Petrol/gasoline price rip-off

Petrol or gasoline is Dollar denominated - I don't know why - and the average price per litre is $1.15. Maybe I'll do the currency conversions later. The price of 95 Octane per litre in South Africa is R14.48. In Venezuela it's $0.01. Think about it for a moment. They are an oil producing country like Angola, Nigeria and Saudi Arabia. In Angola the price of petrol per litre is $0.75, Nigeria $0.48, Iran $0.36 and Saudi Arabia $0.54. In the US it's $0.75. In Sudan it is $0.34, Botswana $0.87, Namibia $0.99, Togo $0.94.

Let's look at European countries, Australia and New Zealand. Their mother UK it's £1.21, France 1.57 Euro, Italy 1.56 Euro, Germany 1.37 Euro, Netherlands 1.57 Euro, Luxembourg 1.70 Euro, Liechtenstein $1.63, Switzerland 1.53 Swiss Francs, Canada 1.38 Canadian Dollars, Australia 1.38 Australian Dollars and New Zealand 2.14 New Zealand Dollar.

In tax havens such as Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Luxembourg petrol is cheap. This is where the money from Africa and other regions of the world is stashed including the Vatican in Italy although it is a state within a state.

In Asia we begin with China. 1litre of petrol is 7.26 Chinese Renminbi, Japan 140.52 Japanese Yen, South Korea 1.5556 South Korean Won, Malaysia 2.25 Malaysian Ringgit and in Singapore 2.12 Singaporean Dollar.

If one looks at the petrol prices of some of these countries, especially Venezuela, one realises that they are sovereign states. Before the fall of Muammar Gaddafi, a gallon of petrol was about 18 cents or 5 cents a litre. I don't know how much it is now since the figures are not available. In Europe there is uniformity of the prices. I don't think the prices fluctuate as much as they do in this banana republic.

The price of petrol in Botswana is half the price of petrol in South Africa but Botswana gets its petrol in this country. It sounds incredible or too good to be true but it is true. The storage facility from which Botswana petrol trucks collect the petrol are in Mogale City, I must know because I live in Mogale City and travel regularly to Botswana and always see these petrol trucks.

These exorbitant petrol prices and the conditions of unemployment, skewed distribution of resources, unequal income distribution and poverty are indicative of capitalism in action. If anybody hasn't understood Robert Sobukwe, Zeph Mothopeng and many other revolutionary intellectuals when they condemned capitalism they must understand them now. Onkgopotse Tiro condemned inequality especially in education and Steve Biko spoke in favour of the establishment of an egalitarian society. Does anybody see anything remotely resembling what these heroes gave their lives for?

There is high unemployment in this country, unequal income distribution, skewed distribution of resources and poverty for petrol to be so expensive. In Venezuela an increase of a cent in the price of petrol sparks riots. Here in South Africa, the people have become so docile that they give me the creeps. Political parties, social movements and non-governmental organisations don't even care.

As if that was not enough, there is this recurring petrol price hikes. In just three weeks’ time, the price of petrol has risen twice.

The petrol cabal in South Africa is taking us for fools because the people of these country, political parties, trade unions and civil society organisations are doing nothing about it. There was an increase about two weeks ago and the Automobile Association of South Africa is complicit in this rip off by explaining away this patently exploitative price hikes. There are those who were implicated in squandering the fuel fund. Moreover, international currency conversions are also a rip off. 

Currency conversions

If the following currency conversions are carefully studied, the reader would notice that there is something fundamentally flawed with the logic behind them. And it is obvious that the aim of these currency conversions is to exploit and get goods and services for nothing, especially from Africa and most of the countries of the south. It is not difficult to realise that countries that are allies of the West in general and the US in particular and those that stand their ground have better exchange rates or worse. CHF is Switzerland Franc. VEF is Venezuelan currency. However, the exchange rate figures are crazy. In South Africa we are able to tell the West that we fix our currency at one to one or go back to the gold standard and if they don't like the idea then they can go to blazes. They need us more than we need them. 

$1 = R12.46 

1€ = $1.40 

1$ = CHF 0.96 

1Euro = $1.22 

1AUD = $0.76 

1NZD = $0.73 

1$ = CAD 1.27 

1$ = SGD 1.31 

1$ = MYR 3.90 

1$ = CNY 6.30 

1$ = South Korean Won 1.05 

1$ = North Korean Won 899.987 

1$ = United Arab Emirates Dirham 3.67 

1$ = Saudi Arabian Riyal 3.75 

1$ = Iranian Rial 37.80 

1$ = Sudanese Dinar 1.80 

1$ = VEF 49,550.00

 A look at the history of USD Rand exchange rate table below reveals the precipitous decline of the Rand as the end of the apartheid government rule was nigh and when the puppet black government had taken over. How does one explain this? We need answers because these are some of the issues that are arresting the development and advancement of the African people especially the youth. In 1974, for example, a gallon or five litres of petrol was about 70 cents. 

Rand vs the dollar: 1978 – 2016 

 Year Rand vs Dollar 

1978 0.87 = $1   

1979 0.84 = $1 

1980 0.81 = $1 

1981 0.79 = $1 

1982 0.98 = $1 

1983 1.12 = $1 

1984 1.20 = $1 

1985 2.00 = $1 

1986 1.99 = $1 

1987 2.09 = $1 

1988 2.11 = $1 

1989 2.53 = $1 

1990 2.59 = $1 

1991 2.63 = $1 

1992 2.89 = $1 

1993 3.19 = $1 

1994 3.42 = $1 

1995 3.63 =$1 

1996 3.95 = $1 

1997 4.42 = $1 

1998 4.98 = $1 

1999 6.15 = $1 

2000 6.39 = $1 

2001 7.77 = $1 

2002 11.47 = $1 

2003 7.91 = $1 

2004 6.71 = $1 

2005 5.85 = $1 

2006 6.28 = $1 

2007 7.39 = $1 

2008 7.99 = $1 

2009 10.32 = $1 

2010 7.46 = $1 

2011 6.91 = $1 

2012 7.59 = $1 

2013 9.11 = $1 

2014 10.79 = $1 

2015 12.26 = $1 

2016 15.20 = $1 

2018 12.46 = $1

How are exchange rates determined?

One wonders if those who were installed in government by the west in 1994 are happy with this state of affairs. Don’t they see anything wrong with this currency manipulation? Do these puppets know how exchange are determined and do they care? Can they explain what caused the Rand to deteriorate in value over the years and why was it valued more than all the currencies of the world during apartheid misrule and deteriorated when the African puppets were about to get in office through a rigged election?

In the Sowetan’s sister newspaper, the now defunct New Nation of 16 August 1996, more than twenty years ago, when the exchange rate was R3.95: $1, I explained how currencies were manipulated through speculation. I mentioned an employee of Citi Bank bragging about how currency speculators were electronically trading in currency twenty four hours to determine and look and government policies the west does not like and force those governments to change them through capital flight to force those governments to change their policies. He gave as an example, what he described as the socialist policies of France’s erstwhile Prime Minister Francois Mitterrand. This Citi Bank employee said currency speculators conduct what he called “a global plebiscite” on those governments through currency manipulation. In 1996 when I raised these issues and nobody in the ANC bothered and still today nobody bothers because they are impervious to advice especially if it does not come from one of their own. Or perhaps they do but there’s probably nothing they can do because they are stooges of the west. Only a revolt by the people will change these slave relations that obtain between South Africa and the west.

By Sam Ditshego

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