Dear Sir,
Events that led to Bishop Desmond Tutu coining the phrase ‘The Rainbow Nation’ started with the release of Nelson Mandela. Many thought that the run up to and the event of the first democratic elections would be a time fraught with danger. History shows that it was, in fact, a peaceful transition. Some overseas media organisations sent their war correspondents to cover what they thought was going to be a violent chapter in South Africa’s history. The vast majority of our citizens, from all walks of life and from all creeds, cultures and races went forward from that point in time with hope and with an optimism fired with a determined spirit.
I do believe today that the hope, optimism and determination are still largely intact and vibrant in many important respects among our South African men, women and children. I see it and experience it in my daily life. Due to the nature of my work and everyday life, I get to meet many people from all walks of life - in family, social and business situations.
As does every nation, South Africa has problems. Due to our history, we have a combination of circumstances that makes us fairly unique:-
- We are the largest commercial and industrial entity in Africa by some measure.
- We have the clearly defined mix of first and third world.
- In terms of cultures and religions, the main ones have a definite and vibrant presence.
- We have the extremely rich and the very poor, and all the stepped off levels between the two.
- We are living, working and socialising together in a way that does not happen in anything like the same scale or extent (in proportionate terms) anywhere else.
Given all the foregoing, we have problems, some of which are serious - most of us have a pretty good idea what they are. Some appear intractable. However, at the level of the person in the street, I perceive that the critical mass of people are making a go of the concept of our ‘Rainbow Nation’ – they are putting their hearts and their substance on the line.
Some South Africans (by no means the majority, I believe) have become disillusioned and then cynical. Cynicism is no respecter of race, socio-economic level, creed or religion.
An important part of the global economy is the need for capital to develop the means of production. In this regard, capital is a global resource, and it generally is attracted to those nations where economies have the necessary supporting environment / infrastructure and political /business stability to allow for successful outcomes.
A very real problem we have is that our political elite are letting us down. It is the single biggest problem, as it reverberates through the fabric of our national life like a demolition ball. We, as a nation, are, in many ways, going forward. The effects and consequences of the deeds and failings of our political governing class are like strong chains that hold us back. It’s as if we are doing an obstacle course, with the occasional patch of quicksand, the occasional sinkhole and, apparently, no clear path ahead.
Because our political leaders are high profile people and because their behavior and policy decisions have far-reaching consequences, when they mess up, the results can be cataclysmic. In terms of poor governance and rampant corruption, many of our essential services overseen by government agencies and civil servants are imploding. Health, education and the police services spring to mind immediately. We have lost 80% of a generation of school children due to lack of facilities and abysmal teaching standards and the recently discarded ‘outcomes-based’ education system (which has left large numbers of our children innumerate and illiterate). Horror stories are constantly coming out of our government-run hospitals. In our recent past, of two heads of the police force, one was jailed for corruption and the other is suspended for not following due process in lease deals worth over R1b for police headquarter premises in Pretoria and Durban. Our crime intelligence services have been /are being used by politicians to settle old political scores and to ensure their grip on power.
In spite of the fact that the situation looks dire, I do believe that as a country, as a people, we deserve better. And because we deserve better, I also believe we will achieve a better situation in the political realm than the one that now constrains us. The spirit and the will of the people will prevail to the extent that the present malfeasance in government will not continue unchecked. I believe that people will increasingly use whatever means at their disposal (including the judiciary, all the way to the Constitutional Court) to obtain justice from a government that is flagrantly disregarding our constitutional rights as a nation of people and individuals in many areas. In many of those ‘areas’, the government is under-achieving and in many others it is completely delinquent - and they (government) don’t appear to give a hoot ! I believe that people will change their voting patterns. I believe the nature of municipal, provincial and national politics will change because the will to change is in our hearts and souls.
Sandy Johnston
Rivonia,
Johannesburg
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