Some ANC and government leaders appear to think that simply issuing a public policy statement will miraculously translate into the successful implementation of it.
Policies are often based on aspirations, wishful thinking and ideology rather than on grinding reality, evidence and reason. Some policies are just outdated in a dramatically changed economic, technological and market environment.
Old industries are increasingly disrupted by new technology, business models and environmental consciousness — yet policymakers often proffer ancient, unsuited policies.
In many other cases corruption, incompetence and lawlessness by political, government and business leaders have destroyed the credibility of certain types of policies.
Often policies are so poorly thought out they have to be thrown out after a lengthy passage in parliament
This is one of the main reasons there are so many policies, mostly irrelevant, and execution remains poor. This means that policies are often made on the hoof without the capacity to implement them, or the funds to pay for them, and the wrong solution to the problem.
Some of the policies clash with existing or parallel ones or are a repeat of previously failed ones. In the end, policies are not implemented, do not secure enough funds to make them deliverable and are rejected by the intended recipients.
Often policies are so poorly thought out they have to be ditched after a lengthy passage in parliament.
Many policies could not muster support because they were unconstitutional.
When new policies are cobbled together the cost of retaining a policy is seemingly seldom compared with that of adopting a new policy.
There is often neither analysis of why previous policies failed, nor consideration of the unintended consequences — costs and potential opposition to it — of adopting new ones.
Often government policymakers have not worked in or understood the areas they formulate policies for — therefore devising policies that do more harm than good.
In some cases, pre-1994 policies have been rejected because they were associated with the apartheid era, without considering their potential use in the democratic era.
Support is crucial
The basis of successful implementation of policies is pragmatism, practicality and level-headedness. Successful policy implementation at least needs an effective public service.
Public, stakeholder and citizen support for policies is crucial. Such support partly depends on the public viewing the state as having the credibility, trust and competence to implement such policies.
Chronic mismanagement, waste and corruption have undermined this confidence in the government.
The following examples illustrate misguided policymaking through public statements:
• The government wants to establish a National Health Insurance (NHI) Fund as a single purchaser and single payer of health-care services, yet public hospitals are in dire straits, most SOEs are dysfunctional, and public income is declining.
There appears to be the belief that a statement of intent to create an NHI Fund will miraculously fix public hospitals, and make the new health SOEs better managed than all the other failing ones — yet the health minister will appoint a CEO and board members, and out of nowhere produce new public revenue to fund it.
• Many ANC leaders and members have been calling for tax increases to pay for public services, yet, as Sars CEO Edward Kieswetter recently warned, high levels of corruption, mismanagement and waste have led to falling public trust in the government by individuals and companies.
“When public trust [in the government] wanes, as is the current case, then taxpayers feel morally justified to withhold or manipulate their taxes,” Kieswetter said.
Unless policymaking is based on reality, pragmatism and evidence, implementation will continue to fail.
• Gumede is associate professor at the School of Governance, University of the Witwatersrand, and author of Restless Nation: Making Sense of Troubled Times (Tafelberg).
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