Feeling gloomy about being South African and about the country’s future? Well, here’s an interesting blog on Thought Leader by Dr Vusi Gumede, chief policy analyst in the Presidency’s Policy Co-ordination and Advisory Services.
He says surveys show that this is not a product of our apartheid past but that a serious dent to how South Africans feel about the country set in at about 2005/2006. He writes of a recent Afrobarometer survey:
The death of democrasy
The latest survey data implies that about 60% of those surveyed are confident of the South African future, a sharp decline from 86% in 2005 and 84% in 2006. In terms of race relations, about 50% of those surveyed in the latest survey had felt that race relations were improving, compared to 60% in 2005 and 58% in 2006. Lastly, and most disturbingly, there is a decrease in the share of those that are proud to be South African: from 90% in 2005 to 78% in 2007.
Gumede believes the reason for this fall in faith is that we continue to be a prejudiced people, expect others to be prejudiced against us and we have a serious lack of ethics.
The challenge of ethics in South Africa is swelling unabated, in my view. Most public servants are not doing what they are employed to do; most members of communities keep a blind eye to dreadful social injustices, and so on. The reality of our poor ethics is leading to non-accountability, lack of caring for one another, carelessness, and so on. Ours is becoming a fragile zone of inexplicable and despicable bitterness and envy!
I agree with Dr Gumede and would like to go one step further and ask why is it that we are so unethical.
I think it starts with the ANC’s ruling class — the ANC president Jacob Zuma and the powerful clique of ANC, SACP and Cosatu people supporting, protecting and projecting him. I find it hugely distressing that they believe themselves to be above the law and not accountable to the citizens of this country. It’s revealed in Parliament that R1-million a month of taxpayers’ money is being used to pay for security for Zuma, when he is not allowed to have it, and what happens? Nothing! The ANC hasn’t even deigned to comment on this as far as I know.
It’s leaked that Zuma’s legal team appears to be blackmailing the National Prosecuting Authority with embarrassing information about the NPA and Thabo Mbeki, leading to speculation that the NPA is going to drop the corruption and racketeeing charges against Zuma. Never mind that evidence of corruption involving Shabir Shaik and Zuma has been upheld by the Contitutional Court.
Mondli Makhanya, the Sunday Times editor, has an an interesting piece on the SACP’s deal with the devil, the shady capitalists that back Zuma. Read it here. They want power by any means, says Makhanya, at the expence of their own principals and ethics.
I’ve often wondered about people who failed to see the signs of a nation moving towards a corrupt dictatorship, for example, in Nazi Germany or Zimbabwe. How could they not see it, I’ve wondered. I think the signs are here in South Africa. We’re sliding inexcorably into corruption at the very top of our government and they want power at any cost. That means they’ll hold on to power at any cost. The next step is repression and human rights abuses. I believe it’s time to leave the country.
And if that sounds cowardly — I agree. I’m no freedom fighter. I want my family to live in a safe, well run country where the rule of law is respected and my taxes are used productively and honestly.
Popularity: 29% [?]
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March 24th, 2009 at 3:23 pm
Brilliant post. I dont see how people can not see that South Africa is moving towards a semi dicatorship.
March 24th, 2009 at 3:35 pm
how many people see this truth is overwhelming but unfortunately confined to withing this country’s borders & the majority of the voting population is very easily influenced by continuous lies fed to them and follow those who feed them those lies. All Aboard!!!
March 24th, 2009 at 9:20 pm
Shot the comments, guys. Time for a Tall Horse.
March 25th, 2009 at 10:31 am
I cannot help but intervene: I feel that my Blog piece referred to has been quoted out of context. The piece I have recently posted to my Blog (www.thoughtleader.co.za/vusigumede) on SA is a social science endeavour aimed at a robust conversation about our country and possibly culminating to practical things that we should do as a nation to get to where we all prefer to be as a nation. I frequently try this: you can see all my write-ups (published scholarly papers, chapters in books, newspaper articles, my Blog’s polemics, etc). The piece in question was an ice-breaker to a series I will be unleashing (once a month) on various socio-economic, political and psychosocial dynamics in our land of possibilities.
I do not think that anybody should leave our country which has a lot of potential. I think we should all try to make it a better place to live in, at least for our children and our children’s children and their children.
March 25th, 2009 at 11:34 am
Thanks for coming to Grub Street, Vusi, and giving me your view. I’m sorry if you feel you were quoted out of context but I’m not completely certain on HOW you feel it is out of context.
I respect your wish to make South Africa a better place but that appears to be the INTENTION of the series of articles and not the CONTEXT.
March 25th, 2009 at 1:38 pm
Watch this: Proudly South African
http://witnessthis.wordpress.com/2009/02/18/proudly-south-african-video
Cheerio
March 25th, 2009 at 2:47 pm
That’s a sweet vid, Galen, and it did make me feel better. My choice of song would be “We Love this Place” by TKZee. one of my alltime favourite songs!
March 25th, 2009 at 10:02 pm
Hey Vusi,
I thought your writing was great on your blog but just a little bit dense for the average reader. I think we all agree that we don’t want to leave SA but also agree with your analysis that there is a general despondency about SA. We can lah-lah on about how it SHOULD be, but I think we all want it to be better NOW.
I also think we should stay here to make it better for our children, but I also agree with the grubstreet analysis that something is rotten in our hearts.
Who will offer us salvation? Certainly not the Dalai Lama, since he’s been banned from our country. Who else then?
If your intention is to be robust, the let;s get robusting!
July 10th, 2009 at 8:39 pm
I’ve been back in the country for the past 3 years after being away for 10 and to be blunt, it appears as if blacks and whites are portrayed in the media as funloving getalong happy people all anjoying each others’ company. In reality however I note that ALL of us are encouraged to work towards a brighter future and yet the whites are marginalised to a huge degree. Whites who are dead keen to help. So my question is,’ How are we expected to fix this problem if the very people who have the ability to do so are kept down simply because….they….are…white?’ Anyone read ‘Animal Farm’ recently? Hell Vusi, get your guys to drop all the politics and let us ALL sort this place out.
July 13th, 2009 at 9:08 pm
A serious bout of nostalgia made me come back after almost 12 years in London and after 6 months I’m totally regretting it. I can’t believe how bad things are in SA and how much SAs are bullshitting themselves about the whole situation. Despite taking a huge financial knock by moving again, that’s exactly what I’m doing now. Gill you sum it up nicely by saying ” I want my family to live in a safe, well run country where the rule of law is respected and my taxes are used productively and honestly.” I also want to be able to respect my government and my fellow countrymen – I cannot do that in SA.
September 4th, 2009 at 9:12 pm
Leaving SA was the best thing ever I did, not my qualifications or anything else. Amazing how many South Africans you bump into in so many overseas countries – all happy and not willing to go back.
February 8th, 2010 at 8:12 pm
Never thought I would ever have these thoughts , SA is in a spiral of moral decline towards a typical African Banana republic , please someone try and prove me wrong here!!! Power , water , security , these are Maslow’s basic needs , they are in jeopardy , Maaan!! I never thought I would ever would ever get here!!!