Decades ago the Chinese government recognised that a fundamental principle in accelerating economic growth was to reduce population growth. Their system of totalitarian government allowed them to implement a “one child per couple” policy.
Notwithstanding the consequential emotional and social trauma, it achieved the desired effect.
The Chinese economy has grown steadily for many reasons. Slowing population growth is one of them.
It’s an elementary reality that if population growth exceeds economic growth the country cannot prosper.
If the politicians who purport to be governing South Africa took a step back from counting their money and pointing fingers at other politicians they would realise this.
No matter how many jobs are created, the growth in population and resulting demand for jobs will overwhelm them. Inevitably unemployment will increase, followed by crime and further overcrowding in schools, which will result in education standards dropping and more school leavers being unemployable and the downward spiral will intensify.
The social grants system should be revamped to give much bigger monetary incentives to new recipients who have only one child than to those with two or more children.
The benefits of birth control should be driven relentlessly through schools and clinics to members of both sexes. Population growth will decline.
Sadly, important decisions like this will first be politicised and lost in debate, procrastination and bureaucracy and then dropped like a hot potato or swept under the carpet.