THE CONSTITUTION, STATE CAPTURE AND THE WAY FORWARD
2018-02-02
SPEECH BY FW DE KLERK, CHAIRMAN EMERITUS OF THE FW DE KLERK FOUNDATION TO THE FW DE KLERK FOUNDATION CONFERENCE, 2 FEBRUARY 2018 THE CONSTITUTION,
SPEECH BY FW DE KLERK, CHAIRMAN EMERITUS OF THE FW DE KLERK FOUNDATION TO THE FW DE KLERK FOUNDATION CONFERENCE, 2 FEBRUARY 2018 THE CONSTITUTION,
Observers must watch the right markers in order to determine whether South Africa is now on a reformist trajectory. One set of markers relates to the rule of law, corruption and accountable government. These are getting the bulk of analyst attention. But the second set are even more important and relate to policy reform in areas of empowerment, the labour market, property rights, and education.
The ongoing SASSA debacle is setting off unprecedented concerns, including but not limited to ineffectual leadership by the Minister of Social Development, allegations and counter-allegations between SASSA and SAPO as potential service provider, and crucially that of dragging the justice system into administering a failing political process.
As the country holds its collective breath for the ANC Elective Conference, currently scheduled for 16 to 20 December 2017, to come and go, the mistaken assumption is that the troubles of the land too shall pass, post this event.
The recent “Black Monday” protests have again highlighted how emotional the issues of farm attacks and farm murders are. There was both support for and criticism against the protests, the latter fuelled by some protesters making a political statement by waving the old South African flag.
Some historical background may be instructive. The Mandela government did a great deal to classify the phenomenon of farm attacks as a special category of crime, and to confront it. Among other initiatives, there was a national conference on the matter, a Rural Protection Plan, and establishing committees to implement the Plan. This was done in the early 2000s, in cooperation with the established commando system, which most farmers were part of.
There is considerable irony when the United Nations’ (UN) International Day for the Eradication of Poverty falls on the day that the President of the country plays fast and loose with the country’s people and resources, driven by unguarded self-interest and self-enrichment.
The Portfolio Committee on Social Development might have been bracing itself for a much-awaited report from the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) on its 2016/17 performance.
For many South Africans, the daily news cycle feels like more of the same: body blows to the economy, bailouts to state-owned enterprises despite a revenue undershoot, and a governing party at war with itself, taking the rest of the country hostage in the process.
As the country braces for a long weekend, the Heritage Day public holiday will give us pause from work but sadly not from an increasingly brittle political, economic and social climate.