Mandela’s new South Africa

Former President Nelson Mandela achieved several milestones during his presidential term, which set the country on a path towards true freedom

When Nelson Mandela took office as South Africa’s first democratic president in 1994, he had the momentous task of completely transforming an entire government. It wasn’t enough that he had been the driving force behind the abolishment of apartheid – an even bigger job now lay ahead of him. His term as president would lay the foundations for the future of the new South Africa.

Building on the ideals of the new Constitution – which he helped develop – Mandela achieved several milestones during his presidential term, which set the country on a path towards true freedom.

The establishment of parliament

One of Mandela’s first actions was to oversee the development of a new parliament which would be tasked with making the many legislative changes needed in South Africa.The system of parliament was changed to consist of a National Council of Provinces (comprising 10 representatives from each province) and a National Assembly (consisting of 400 elected members from the ruling party and opposition party). It was through this institution that many new landmark bills would be debated and passed.

The Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP)

Mandela introduced the RDP as the most important programme in reversing the inequalities of apartheid. After many months of consultation and six drafts, the programme was adopted in 1994 as a framework for rebuilding and transforming South Africa’s economy.

“The success of the RDP is crucial to the survival and development of our newly won democracy. Unless we successfully address the question of economic growth, development and equitable distribution of wealth and income, the prospects for guaranteeing the stability of

our democratic settlement will not be good,” Mandela explained in a speech to the National Foreign Trade Council in October 1994.

Priority areas of the RDP included housing, provision of water and electricity, land reform, healthcare and public works programmes. Some remarkable strides were made in these areas during and just after Mandela’s presidency.

Between 1994 and 2000, over 1.1 million RDP houses had been built, accommodating five million of the estimated 12.5 million people who had been deprived of proper housing during apartheid. Through 236 different projects, 4.9 million people had access to clean, piped water. More than

1.7 million homes were connected to the national electricity grid and the percentage of rural homes with electricity grew from 12 percent to 42 percent. By the end of 1998, 500 new clinics had been built, giving an additional five million people access to primary healthcare facilities. Land reform made progress too, with 250 000 people receiving land by 1999. Meanwhile, employment was given a major boost through the Public Works Programme, which employed more than 240 000 people in five years, through road-building schemes, and sewage, sanitation and water supply projects.

So much positive progress in such a short space of time was unprecedented in South Africa. Emerging from the ashes of economic isolation, segregation and inequality, the foundations of the new democratic nation had been well and truly built.

Free healthcare and nutrition

In his first State of the Nation Address on 24 May 1994, President Mandela made the landmark announcement that free public healthcare would be provided to pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers and children under the age of six. This was the first time any form of free healthcare had been provided to South Africans.

Mandela also oversaw the introduction of nationwide vaccination campaigns and hospital revitalisations. Together with the government’s clinic-building programme, South Africans had better access to healthcare than ever before. Between 1995 and 1998, the proportion of South Africans who reported travelling 15 minutes or less from home to health facilities increased from just over a third (36.3 percent) to more than half (54 percent). In 2006, national government built on the Mandela legacy by extending free primary healthcare services to all users of public healthcare facilities.

With children always holding a special place in his heart, President Mandela introduced the Primary School Feeding Scheme as the Presidential Lead Project of the RDP shortly after taking office.

R472.8 million was budgeted for the programme in 1994, and more than four million children were reached. Today, the Department of Basic Education’s National School Nutrition Programme plays a crucial role in poverty alleviation, feeding over eight million learners in primary and secondary schools on a daily basis.

Social grants

During the apartheid era, social benefits were heavily favoured towards the white minority. President Mandela’s administration levelled the playing field, and by 1994 all beneficiaries received the same grant levels. With a focus on the most disadvantaged members of society, the grants ensured a better quality of life for all.

The government focused on reforming the child welfare system, calling on experts through the

Lund Committee on Child and Family Support. In 1997, Parliament approved a Child Support Grant aimed at the poorest 30 percent of families with children under seven years old. Today, the

“Poverty is not an accident. Like slavery and apartheid, it is man-made and can be removed by the actions of human beings” – Nelson Mandela, 2005.

grant system also covers the elderly, persons with disability, war veterans and foster children, with 17 million people benefitting.

The system has received international acclaim over the years. According to the Brookings Institution, a public policy organisation based in Washington DC, social grants have played a vital role in alleviating poverty.

“While the public discourse on social grants is often critical and negative, research indicates that social grants have actually had a tremendous and noticeably positive socio-economic impact on poverty and inequality outcomes in South Africa. Ultimately, social grants stabilised income levels of the poor in the post-apartheid era.”

Human rights protection

In addition to improving economic and living conditions, one of President Mandela’s priorities was to establish institutions which protected the rights of citizens, an area which had received little attention during apartheid.

The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) was inaugurated in October 1995 with the goal of achieving the Constitutional mandate of establishing independent national institutions which would ensure that fundamental rights were afforded to all South Africans.The SAHRC is an integral part of South Africa’s democracy today, giving citizens a place to turn to when they feel that their human rights (as outlined in the Bill of Rights) have been violated.

Several other important organisations, including the Public Protector, the Gender and Youth Commissions and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission were also established under Mandela’s watchful eye.The protection of human rights was now firmly at the forefront of South Africa’s democracy.

Labour relations

Restrictive employment conditions, such as pass systems, prohibition of strikes and wage ceilings, were a characteristic of the apartheid era. Enforced in 1995, the Labour Relations Act was the crucial piece of legislation in promoting economic development, social justice, labour peace and democracy in the workplace.

The Act had many landmark provisions. It regulated the rights of trade unions and allowed for the right to strike. It promoted the establishment of workplace forums to involve employees in decisionmaking and provided simple procedures for the resolution of labour disputes.

The Basic Conditions of Employment Act (1997) and the Employment Equity Act (1998) also laid the foundations for a workplace free from inequality and unfair labour practices.The Labour Court and the Labour Appeal Court acted as superior courts tasked with ruling on any matters arising from these acts.

President Mandela also launched the National Economic Development and Labour Council (Nedlac) in 1994.This pioneering institution brought government, organised labour, business and communities together to discuss crucial socio-economic and labour policy and legislation. Today, Nedlac is still one of South Africa’s most important vehicles for dialogue, social cohesion and problem-solving.

Speaking in Parliament earlier this year, President Cyril Ramaphosa alluded to its importance.

“Nedlac follows processes which are cooperative, informative, educative and most effective in reaching an agreement. If you really want to reach an agreement on a problem affecting the nation, go to Nedlac to find solutions. Nedlac is able to sit down and resolve problems. That is the magic of Nedlac,” President Ramaphosa said.

Mandela’s legacy is not only with us in the values and morals he embodied. It is also evident in the many policies, programmes and laws that form the blueprint of our democracy.

“To deny people their human rights is to challenge their very humanity” – Nelson Mandela, 1990.