SOUTH AFRICA
TWENTY YEARS LATER
Stes de Necker
When the people of
South Africa met on the 25th and 26th June 1955 in Kliptown near Johannesburg,
the Congress of the People was convened and this meeting represented a historical
moment in the establishment of a new order in South Africa, based on freedom,
democracy and the will of the people. It brought together 2,844 delegates from
all over the country. At this meeting, ‘The Freedom Charter’ (for a democratic
South Africa), which embodied the hopes and aspirations of the majority of the people
of South Africa, was adopted. The Charter proclaimed that ''South Africa belongs
to all who live in it" and that "all shall be equal before the
law" and It pledged to continue the struggle until a new democratic order
was put into place.
The new order became
reality when the ANC win the election in 1994 and took over the government of
South Africa.
2014
marks the 20th anniversary of the ANC ruled Government and the
question can be asked, and rightfully so, ‘What became of the noble aspirations
adopted by the people of South Africa in 1995?’
During the past two decades, many foreign visitors who visited South
Africa before are currently avoiding coming to South Africa; Several foreign
investors who a decade ago was excited to invest in South Africa, are now
taking their investments elsewhere; peaceful marches and protests turn violent in
the space of minutes and normally lead to bloodshed and mayhem.
In the 20 years
since the end of white minority rule, South Africa has rarely looked
so unattractive.
Mining and
Agriculture are in crisis as costs rise and commodity prices fail to cover the
costs of production. Strikes and demonstrations are spreading across the mining
industry and into other sectors.
Companies are
losing production, and the recognized unions, with which business was able to
barter in the past, have lost influence over the labour force.
Equally worrying
is the political atmosphere which is not only highly charged but becoming increasingly
poisonous. Opportunists such as Julius Malema, the disgraced former youth
leader of the African National Congress, is now sitting in Parliament where he is
not only busy exploiting the leadership vacuum, but is making a mockery of the
proud South African Parliamentary tradition.
Black Economic Empowerment, affirmative action, nationalization
and land reform, are still the greatest evils of the ANC culture and are
effectively being manipulated by the Malema’s sitting in Parliament to further
their own political aspirations and ideals.
South Africa is
fast becoming a comedian's paradise. One after the other comic error is denting
South Africa’s image locally and abroad.
The Nkandla
debacle, the Malema circus, the bumbling Land Audit conducted by the Department
of Land Affairs, a prejudiced Justice system and fraud and corruption uncovered
almost daily in just about every State Department, are all fuelling the
negative sentiments towards South Africa all over the world.
Remarkably, South
Africa in terms of income distribution and wealth, has become even more
unequal since 1994. What is needed to address this problem is much more than a
debate about land tenure.
A culture of self-enrichment of the privileged loyalists in the
ANC has taken root in all levels of Government. It is a culture of, ‘get as
rich as possible, as soon as possible.’
It is a culture that embraces a variety of ills, most of which are aimed
at the erosion of our constitutional democracy and the maintenance of the
unscrupulous and incompetent politicians in their panelled offices and
luxurious limousines.
The government's controversial tender system provides the
opportunity for every friend and family member of the ruling elite to secure lucrative
contracts, the vast majority of which are never implemented, or alternatively it
is so half executed that the work or service have to redone in any case.
And for those who do not have nepotistic connections with the
ruling elite, there is always the possibility of a lucrative position somewhere
in the deployment of some ANC's cadre.
Corruption in all facets and levels of Government has certainly the
best income to risk ratio anywhere in the world, as less than 5% of all corruption
charges are successfully prosecuted in our courts.
The immediate
conundrum is not an easy one. Miners are already South Africa’s best-paid
workers, but by comparison with the ruling black elite they are paupers. It may
be possible for the government and industry to win some breathing space again by
buying them, and workers in other industries, off. But this will only be a
short term solution (and a small part at that) of the real problem. Further wage
increases seems inevitable which will only mean that the mining industry will
be become smaller and less competitive as a result.
Radical reforms
to education, the labour market, business regulation and land ownership are
needed to spur labour intensive sectors such as mining, manufacturing and
agriculture.
Violence and the
daily dose of comic errors by the political leadership are however symbolic of
a bigger and deeper malaise. South Africa's problems are bigger
than most South Africans think and as long as the group of privileged political
elite remain in power, the more unlikely it will be that any significant
improvement in the prevailing conditions will occur.
A complete restructuring
of the whole socio-economic and socio-political environment is today certainly the
biggest and most important challenge facing this country.
South Africa’s
economy has grown on average by 3.6 per cent over the past two decades. This pace
of growth falls far short of what is needed to absorb the legions of currently unemployed
people in South Africa.
The necessary
reforms will be painful, but deferring them will be even more painful. Far too
long the ANC led Government, has deferred these tough decisions.
To quote the National
Chairman of the Australian Protectionist Party, Andrew Phillips: “Despite noble
announcements by the African National Congress (ANC) of its intent to make South
Africa an egalitarian society in which all people could live in harmony
and have equal opportunity, the reality is quite different. ... It is becoming
increasingly clear the situation in South Africa warrants international
attention once again"
The Western world
was quick to take the moral high-ground against South Africa decades ago. Now
is the time to expose their hypocrisy by refusing to exercise pressure and apply
meaningful diplomatic pressure upon the ANC regime to bring about the long
overdue changes so desperately needed in this country.
South Africa’s
Constitution is recognized throughout the world as one of the best
constitutions in the world. Everybody involved was pleased and proud to have
been a part of it. Two of our leaders were even awarded Nobel Peace Prizes.
But now it seems
that most of our ANC leaders are uncomfortable with the Freedom Charter and the
Constitution. They claim to live by the rule of law, but when the law isn’t on
their side, they’re happy to bend, ignore, or even break it.
The ANC still claims
that they want to reduce crime and corruption. That they want to improve the
education and health systems. That they want to reduce unemployment and to
provide homes for the homeless. But very little gets done about it!
In a previous
article, “Suid-Afrika se krag in diversiteit”, I said that the only recipe for
peace, prosperity and progress in this country, is the speedy return to the
aspirations of the Freedom Charter and the adherence to the provisions of the
Constitution.
Its time that all
South Africans once again unite around the noble ideals of the Freedom Charter.
The biggest evil in South Africa is that it is largely being
driven by ignorance, bigotry and racism, instead of a mature, equitable vision
for development and growth.
