Peter Attard Montalto is entirely correct to note that the ANC’s internal dynamics help explain its conduct and inability to countenance the sort of reforms that would make a case for investment and unlock economic growth (“Does anyone in the ANC actually read auditor-general reports?”, October 1).
SA has been in the unfortunate position of having had its governance driven fundamentally by its politics. This was not merely in the sense of electoral choices but in the deliberate politicisation of institutions that were conceived to be impartial, service-orientated and staffed by career professionals. Never was a truer word spoken than when the National Planning Commission described this as “rejection of meritocracy”.
Whether the auditor-general’s reports are read or not, the action required is politically unpalatable and the capacity to actually take it has been degraded. The state of municipal governance is the prime exhibit here.
Looking to the future, it is not merely policy reform that will be needed, but institutional rehabilitation. This will be a fraught process with numerous entrenched interests being determined to ensure it fails.
A defining question for SA will be whether a reconfigured political leadership, an engaged civil society and a committed business community will be able to stay the course.
Terence Corrigan
Institute of Race Relations
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