So my dad and I were just talking about the state of this nation, what with Zuma and Mbeki and the whole thing. I think there are several facts in play here that cannot be denied. For instance, the game has shifted from white vs. black to Zulu vs. Xhosa (maybe that’s what they’re referring to as “racism”?), no matter who the ANC brings up as a presidential candidate, they’re likely to be convicted criminals who have spent time at Robben Island, and despite the best assurances our government can give us, South Africa is indeed entering on to a slippery slope.

I was wondering - what if (serious “what if”) the Western Cape was to break away from South Africa and form a sovereign nation in it’s own right?

In other words, imagine if the Western Cape became its own country, with its own border posts (and perhaps currency), as well as a newly-formed government system elected by its residents (which’ll most likely put the DA in power). How would life look then?

For starters, the Western Cape has just about everything it needs in order to run a country:

• Infrastructure - roads and sewage and hospitals
• Administration - a high court, a working local administration
• Justice-related functions, like a high court and a prison
• Cosmopolitan capital - Cape Town is a one-of-a-kind African city in this regard
• Arable land - Mostly fruit production, plus wine, and the ability to shift to other kinds of farming
• Power generation - Koeberg, the old Cape Town station, and some other hydroelectric outfit near the coast
• Port - A really big one, right there in Cape Town
• Airport
• Train network
• Tourist attractions, entertainment, other amenities in that regard
• Industry - especially a growing online industry
• A unique culture
• … and a few other things I’m probably forgetting to list.

In short, it could realistically be done. Plus, there are a few other benefits:

• Forward-looking leadership
• Possible replacements for Telkom/Vodacom
• Freedom to focus on further developing our already world-class services
• Control over educational standards - bring UCT, etc back to their former recognition
• A tighter grip could be exercised on crime and corruption, without stall tactics from the ANC
• Reinstate bodies like the Scorpions on a local scale
• More money in less space = improved services and infrastructure for citizens

And then, of course, you have to wonder what will South Africa as a whole be losing? Mostly:

• Koeberg
• Taxpayer money
• Wine
• Tourist attractions
• People that know what they’re doing … lol

Between Bloemfontein, Durban and Pretoria, the rest of South Africa can and will continue to function as a stable(-ish) nation. It’s not like we’d be cutting out the heart of the country or something.

Ok, so the question, then - what does it take to form a new country?

In international law, the Montevideo Convention on the Right and Duties of States sets down the criteria for statehood in article 1: The state as a person of international law should possess the following qualifications:

(a) a permanent population;
(b) a defined territory;
(c) government; and
(d) capacity to enter into relations with the other states.

Yep, I think we have all of that available to us. From there, it’s more or less an extended process of saying “We hereby declare ___ a sovereign nation under the terms and whatever of the Montevideo Convention.”

Now wouldn’t that make an awesome Christmas present? What do you think - too desperate, or worth considering as a viable alternative to suffering under a corrupt national government?