The erosion of a well-functioning government is the true threat to our democracy. Regardless of the political party that can secure the majority, we require guardrails and safeguards that not only protect against abuse and inaction, but also enable accountability that drives both delivery and transparency.
South Africans have long hoped for a better life, but almost 30 years into our democracy we continue to be plagued by inaction and silence when we need deliberate and intentional participation. It is difficult to imagine that anything will shift in the coming months.
Our democracy is burdened by an electoral system that was intended to be transitional. A structural democracy that has not enabled the best to thrive, but rather has allowed our freedoms to mean very little in the wake of crippling unemployment, worsening inequality and exclusion.
So much has been achieved and yet there is so much still outstanding. The democratic project remains incomplete for as long as South Africans go hungry, are excluded from participation in our society and the young and old remain vulnerable and exposed.
The burden of leadership in South Africa cannot ignore the complexities of our broken society, but it also cannot expect the people to simply imagine a better world and hold on to the dream of a better South Africa.
President Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa entered the historic City Hall in Cape Town on 9 February, to outline his administration’s vision for South Africa, and the promise of delivery.
City Hall is a building not intended for use for the joint sitting of South Africa’s democratic Parliament, but had to be used as the venue after flawed security and access controls culminated in a fire that engulfed the parliamentary precinct.
The State of the Nation Address (Sona) has to be deliberate, focused and provide certainty — especially when a nation and its people are suffering. The parliamentary proceedings would have avoided the crippling and destructive consequences of rolling electricity blackouts and power failures while the rest of the country continues to live through the consequences of “load shedding”.
Story of SA is a tale of exclusion
The story of South Africa today is punctuated too frequently by the tale of exclusion that is entrenched in almost every cycle of life. The impact is felt from cradle to grave, and yet it does not need to be this way. South Africa sits on untapped natural resources and human capital resources waiting to be leveraged.
After ...