Staff Writer
Wedding bells are ringing in South Africa. The president, Jacob
Zuma, is preparing to wed his long time fiancé very shortly. This
development would only be slightly interesting as a diplomatic or state affair
if it were his first time tying the knot. But that isn’t the case, and the news
of a pending wedding is rather surprising since Mr. Zuma already has three wives.
Adding to the unexpectedness of this state event is the political climate under
which it will be taking place. At the moment, every politician in the world is
having a really tough time explaining to their voting public the contracting
global economy and the devastating impact it is having on the national
unemployment numbers, not to mention the gloomy economic outlook economists are
predicting for the coming years. It would appear this concern does not
preoccupy the president enough for him to put away his plans to provide South
Africa with its forth first lady. He has proven in the past to be up to the
task, for public perception of his polygamous marriage is that all the Mrs. Zumas happily live under the same roof.
Recently, however, it would appear Mr. Zuma does not have the same
handle over his political party—The African
National Congress (ANC). The president is currently overseeing a period of
unprecedented political backstabbing and fragmentation in the party that
brought black South Africans their independence from apartheid. The
political fallout the ANC is currently experiencing was bound to happen. No one
expected the ANC to remain a coherent ideological entity forever when it came
to power in 1994. It holds an unnatural majority in the lower and upper houses
of South Africa’s government and is assured the presidency for some time to
come. What was not expected, because everyone hoped for success—South Africans
and non-South Africans alike—was the ANC’s
failure to significantly better the social-economic standing of
black South Africans since it came to power.
The ANC came to power with a social agenda that boldly attempted
to revert the long era of black disenfranchisement under white-rule South
Africa. Many of the programs it enacted for this purpose have failed to raise
the very low standard of living of most blacks. The black economic empowerment
had a daunting task of putting the national wealth in the hands of the black
majority. Though, there has been progress on this front, it is very little and
slow coming. And black South Africans are running out of patience. With only 10
percent of companies listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) owned by blacks, evidently the ANC’s
programs still have a long way to go to revert the country’s wealth imbalance.
The latest Organization for Economic Corporation and Developed (OECD)
report on South Africa shows that 50
percent of the country lives in poverty. And, according to the same
organization, there is still a strong link between race and poverty, even
though there exist a growing black middle class. The relatively new phenomenon
that is the black middle class is very small. Most people see many of them as
the lucky few blacks that have the right connections to the country’s
politicians.
South Africans in great numbers say they are ready for a change. Many believe the
upcoming elections may produce an unexpected result. No one believes the ANC
will loose its majority, but its margin of victory may be slimmer this time
around. The current order seems apparent to all, even to ANC leadership, who
are now willing to publicly accept their shortcomings. However, what is also
very clear, but not admitted so openly, is that recalling South Africa’s “black
government” at the ballot box would be a massive psychological blow. Few are
willing to accept that a “black government” can not run South Africa, which, to
most, would be the message should a ballot vote dent the ANC’s power
significantly. Nelson Mandela stressed that South Africa was to become a rainbow nation when
it gained independence. The truth and reconciliation efforts that followed
immediately after apartheid went a long way in fostering the national climate
necessary to create the rainbow nation. But it couldn’t wipe away the
discontent forever, even if Mandela’s sublime rhetoric placated it temporarily.
Black South Africans want what they were promised. The ANC and Mr. Zuma
will not be able to deliver in their current state. What the situation requires
is a new political dynamic in the country. A country’s most important decisions
should not come entirely from the deliberation table of one political party.
Inevitably, such monopolised power would be abused and would only serve to
create an obtuse political class—the situation South Africa currently finds
itself. The absence of viable, competitive political alternatives to the ANC
has meant that any idea that does not come from the ANC’s leadership is not entertained.
As a result, South Africa’s politics is lacking innovative responses to its
problems. Observers of the current political climate are certain the ANC is
soon to splinter. It would be a welcomed development to many who believe it
would better serve South Africans.