The Proteas reached the finals of a major cricket tournament for the first time in three decades, coming within seven runs of beating cricketing juggernaut India. Yet some have still branded them a bunch of chokers.
SA holds a largely peaceful seventh general election under our democratic constitution — an election that gave the governing ANC just 40% of the vote and resulted in a few weeks of robust haggling — and the doomsayers have a field day predicting the end of the 1994 constitutional republic.
The country’s political, business and labour leadership mobilised to steer in a new era of politics and hopefully even better governance. As political analyst and academic Steven Friedman wrote recently, “it shatters some bigoted stereotypes about Africa and its people”.
Yet there are also many causes for concern. At 58.64% this was the lowest turnout of registered votes for national and provincial elections since registration began in 1999. In 2019 it was 66% and 80% in 2014, while in previous years it was in the seventies.
While it may be tempting to campaign in the extreme, the harsh realities of governance requires cool heads committed to the boring stuff
During the election campaign some political leaders were comfortable to attack the constitution, calling for its root and branch revision, while many devices were used to try to undermine the credibility of the Electoral Commission.
The threat of violence lingers in the air, especially in KwaZulu-Natal. The public discourse has been characterised by appeals to narrow chauvinistic identities, or even xenophobic rhetoric.
Yet if the so-called amorphous and anonymous markets are to be believed, the GNU will be good for SA. And I think South Africans can finally, and ever so tentatively, start believing in the possibility of a better future.
For most South Africans it was no surprise that the constitution and citadels of our democracy — the judiciary and the electoral process — withstood the attacks.
Extreme poverty
Bruised as the ANC had been, it was mature in its management of the negotiations. Not only did it have its feet firmly planted in the centre of SA politics, but using a mixture of cajoling, accommodation and sometimes flattery it shepherded almost the full spectrum of political parties to join it.
The elections highlighted a number of issues the GNU and our democracy need to address. These include the extreme levels of poverty many South Africans suffer. This will remain fertile ground for extremist parties such as MK.
While it may be tempting to campaign in the extreme, the harsh realities of governance requires cool heads committed to the boring stuff. Stuff such as what is really required to solve the deep structural issues affecting the economy, the level of unemployment as well as securing investment and building confidence. This requires addressing the still largely pale, male corporate boardrooms so that we can claim that our economy is truly inclusive and perhaps transformed.
Government ministers new and old will need to pore over detailed stuff like fixing potholes and ports, roads and railways, while fighting crime. Exciting as it may sound, they will need to address the boring stuff of foreign relations, which includes abiding by the international rules we have signed up to while pursuing SA’s national interest.
The most boring aspect of all will be to ensure that the Public Service Amendment Bill, passed in February, lays the basis for the professionalisation and modernisation of the public service.
We need to urgently address the steady decline in electoral participation. An important opportunity is the Electoral Reform Consultation Panel’s investigation; the report is due by June next year.
South Africans are feeling a little spring in their step, and not just because the Proteas reached the men’s T20 cricket finals or due to the prospect of the Boks beating Ireland at the weekend. We are investing much hope that all our leaders — political and societal — will work to ensure this GNU lasts the five years until the 2029 elections, and that none of its constituent parts will walk out on some flimsy pretext.
• Abba Omar is director of operations at the Mapungubwe Institute.
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