Tough times, few friends

We will all die waiting for this new world order to fill the gap that has been left by the US' first of many devastating blows to SA.

- Kyle Zeeman

Seven months ago, a Chinese ship docked at Cape Town Harbour offering free medical assistance.

At hospitals across the country, doctors treat patients as part of an agreement between South Africa and Cuba that costs us tens of millions of rands each year.

These are just two of many lingering influences drizzled across SA that hint at our affections away from the traditional West.

But these allies have seemingly gone to ground in the weeks since the US waged a crusade on the world.

Where are Brics and our Eastern friends?

In SA, US President Donald Trump's view on SA foreign policy has been disguised as disgust for our land policy. This has led to the cancellation of more than R8 billion in aid. That decision alone led to hundreds of jobs being lost and an already overburdened health care system buckling under even more weight.

And yet, we will all die waiting for our membership in the new world order of Brics and our relationship with the East to fill the gap that has been left.