Liberation struggle stalwart Ivan Pillay has called on civil society, big business and pressure groups to stand against the deepening rot in the country, saying the falling apart of the state borders on emergency.
Pillay, a former SA Revenue Service (Sars) deputy commissioner, was one of the executives hounded out of the organisation under Tom Moyane at the height of state capture.
“At this time the South African state is largely dysfunctional, very weak in its general regulatory role, appears to be incapable of performing some of its functions and is unable to adequately protect its citizens,” Pillay said in delivering the Helen Suzman Foundation memorial lecture in Johannesburg on Tuesday.
“Only the criminals and their collaborators desire a weak state,” he said.
Various government departments and state-owned enterprises have been rendered obsolete through state capture in which politically connected businessmen looted the state’s coffers via illegal contracts and tenders.
Pillay’s resignation at Sars and that of Peter Richer, former head of strategic planning and risk, came after a series of media reports that Sars established and ran a secret rogue unit that spied on former president Jacob Zuma and even operated a brothel.
Sars commissioner Edward Kieswetter announced last month that the agency will pay reparations to former employees affected negatively by false allegations during the state-capture era.
Kieswetter also tendered “a heartfelt public apology to its former employees for the organisation’s actions and omissions that had such a devastating and profound impact on their lives”.
This was after inquiries found there was no basis for allegations that a unit set up in 2008 to counter the illicit economy was established unlawfully.
Pillay said on Tuesday that a mood of despondency about the political situation in SA “envelops a great many people in our country”. Many have disengaged from political involvement, while those with the means have emigrated.
“Others do not know what to do about their sense of powerlessness, disappointment and anger,” Pillay said. There are political and legitimacy crises in the country.
“There is distrust of the ANC, even among its followers, who, although they may vote for the organisation do not believe or trust its promises.
“No longer is the ANC seen as a reliable organisation for realising the aspirations of millions who suffered under apartheid. No longer is it closely identified with the poor and the marginalised,” he said.
Recent polls by research house Ipsos — commissioned by ActionSA and the Rivonia Circle political think-tank — indicate the ANC’s electoral support could fall below 50% in the 2024 general election, which could force the ANC to enter into a coalition to cling to power.
“While other electoral alternatives have emerged, there is no evidence of a party that can win an election outright or obtain more votes than the ANC, or establish a stable coalition government,” he said.
“There is no party with a plan to address inequality, hunger, unemployment and the breakdown of basic services. There is no party that can be relied on to provide the bare minimum of conditions for a decent life for all,” said Pillay.
He said the ANC was dogged by a crisis of representation in that it is no longer regarded as a “credible, trusted and honourable force”.
Pillay said the distrust and cynicism extended to parliament, provincial legislatures and municipalities, which are at the coalface of service delivery but have been unable to deliver on their mandates due to corruption and maladministration.
“Politicians have been shown to place more weight on obligations to their political parties than to citizens. Communities are, consequently, often left to fend for themselves.”
It was not surprising that citizens were despondent and apprehensive about SA’s future and dubious about the value of their vote “as the main way of securing change, in remedying the present democratic crisis”.
“At a political level, it is desirable for us to put some of our muscle into other organisations, outside of parliamentary and other elections, to bring pressure to bear on the authorities to fulfil the mandates with which they are vested.”
Pillay said this could be done through religious and professional organisations such as those for lawyers, doctors, teachers, nurses and other professions, and people in trades. “We can also pursue these goals as trade unionists or unemployed people, or as women, or in other sectors.”
A vibrant civil society was essential for a thriving democracy. The business sector also needed to be involved, he said.
“Big Business is one of the most powerful, if not the most powerful, force in the country today. It showed its muscle in the political terrain at the end of the Jacob Zuma era, also coming into the streets in some cases.”
Pillay said it was unfortunate that big business did not sustain the momentum it created and “retreated to the business of business”.
“It is now time for businesses to act boldly to prevent democratic reversals.”
Pillay said the country’s situation that is “close to emergency conditions”. It is important for business to act in co-ordination with other sectors and organisations to leverage its power to save the country and its democracy. .
“Given that all around us the state is falling apart, our time would be better spent in stabilising institutions, improving their productivity and in the process finding synergies across a fragmented government.
“Irrespective of our good intentions, if one doesn’t know how to turn dysfunctional institutions around, efforts to address ethics, norms and standards will be very difficult, if not outright impossible,” said Pillay.
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