Reflecting on 30 years of SA’s democratic journey
‘For to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others. The true test of our devotion to freedom is just beginning. ”— Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela
April 2024 marks an important milestone in the history of South Africa as our country commemorates 30 years since the advent of democracy. As we celebrate and remember the sacrifices of our forebears, it is foremost to reflect on the strides made and the current challenges while charting a road map for the future South Africa we want.
It is against this background that the department of planning, monitoring & evaluation has undertaken and led a government-wide review of the 30 years of South Africa’s democracy between 1994 and 2024. This review was approved by the cabinet and will be launched on Friday,
April 19 2024.
The review comprehensively assesses how the general orientation of government priorities evolved to consider the state of developmental change and contextual environment. Equally, the review highlights key policies under the government that delivered on the transformative agenda and created an enabling environment for different sectors to contribute to building and advancing our country’s democracy.
1994-2004: Build a unitary state and establish democratic institutions
The period between 1994 and 2024 represented our government’s resolve to build a unitary state and establish democratic institutions. Accordingly, the democratic project has been about undoing the stubborn legacies of apartheid that remain a feature of South Africa. When we took over in
1994, we faced the task of rebuilding a deeply wounded nation characterised by the triple challenges of inequality, unemployment and poverty. Furthermore, we inherited a fragmented public service, racial spatial settlement patterns, stagnant economic growth, rampant public sector debt and a public sector dominated by white male personnel and institutionalised prejudice, among others. The adoption of the constitution laid a foundation for an inclusive polity founded on human dignity, human rights, freedom, nonracialism, non-sexism, and the rule of law.
The 30-year review demonstrates the progress since the seminal Reconstruction & Development Programme (RDP) which was introduced in 1994 as a strategy for fundamental transformation to undo the combined effect of past exclusionary policies. Its five interconnected objectives — to meet basic needs, build the economy, democratise the state and society, develop human resources, and nation-building — have remained relevant and found fresh expressions in the policy priorities of all six administrations post-1994.
The building of a unitary state and establishing democratic institutions is a lifetime feature of building our democracy. Over three decades, we have witnessed the democratic government and its systems evolve and develop to meet the needs of the majority. The regular five-yearly national, provincial and local government elections in between have enabled the regular renewal of the governing mandate.
2004-2014: Grow the economy
While the democratic dispensation brought with it necessary political freedom and a break away from the policies of segregation, it brought the stark reality that socioeconomic challenges remained. As Chris Thembisile Hani, the former leader of the South African Communist Party and chief of staff of Umkhonto we Sizwe, noted that South Africa faced a “‘new struggle’ that was socioeconomic; it was about the struggle for jobs, houses, and schools so that we can build a society that cares”.
To sustain any transformation project, we need an enabling economic environment that allows the development and growth of economic opportunities, prioritises redistribution, promotes industrialisation and innovation, and attracts foreign direct investment opportunities.
Building on the foundation of the RDP, successive policies were introduced to drive economic growth and development. These include the Growth, Employment and Redistribution strategy in 1996, the Accelerated & Shared Growth
Initiative for SA in 2006, the New Growth Path in 2010 and the National Development Plan (NDP) in 2012.
The findings of the review reveal that the economy is three times larger than in 1994. It remains one of the largest economies in Africa and is the most industrialised and technologically advanced in the continent.
South Africa’s labour market has expanded. The labour force grew from 11.3-million in 1994 to 28.3-million in 2023. This growth is due to progressive labour legislation.
However, while there have been significant gains in terms of growing the economy since 1994, we still face obstacles. The past decade has been defiled by the increased frequency and intensity of natural disasters, the capturing of the state and its after effects, the energy challenges and high rates of unemployment, among others.
Nonetheless, these experiences revealed the need for a renewed commitment to developing agile systems that can respond to the turbulence of our current realities. Our systems’ agility will allow the government to lead and progress on existing and new long-term plans including the NDP Vision 2030. The high-level goals of the NDP are coherent with key international frameworks for development. Most importantly, the goals are coherent with the aspirations of our people.
2014-2024: Strengthening the capacity of the state
A closer look at the last decade of our democracy represents our government’s commitment to taking South Africa forward. We have witnessed and are on the receiving end of our government’s policy interventions and structural reforms aimed at moving the needle towards accelerated development.
The government has made significant strides in meeting the basic daily needs of millions of households. From 1994 to 2022, 13.7-million people (close to a quarter of the population) were beneficiaries of various social housing programmes. The social housing programmes together with mass electrification, starting with phase 1 of the National Electrification Programme (1994-1999) extended electricity access to 2.5million households and public facilities, contributing to the 80% of households with access to electricity, piped water and sanitation by 2022.
Essentially, we need to consider the development of our democracy, parallel to the development of credible systems and public institutions. As mentioned by the president during the 2024 state of the nation address: “We have established strong institutions to protect the fundamental freedoms and human rights of all people”.
These systems and institutions play a critical role in ensuring fundamental services, as highlighted in the policy positions and programmes of the ruling party, are delivered to the people through ethical, transparent, and accountable ways. During this period, our government has been at the centre of socioeconomic transformation through the implementation of progressive policies and programmes targeted at improving the economy, society, governance and international relations. We must invest in strengthening state capacity; fostering active citizenry and forming social partnerships to build greater determination in contributing towards developing South Africa.
As we reflect on the past three decades, we have witnessed the gradual evolution of South Africa’s population, in size and composition, with far-reaching impacts on the general social, economic, political and geographic development trends of the country. Now more than ever, citizens of this country have the power and responsibility to influence the direction of the country for the next five years and beyond.
We must never trivialise the hard-earned gains of democracy, including the right to vote and participate in democratic processes. We have the collective responsibility to defend and advance our democratic gains by ensuring no-one is left behind.
Over three decades, we have witnessed the democratic government and its systems evolve and develop to meet the needs of the majority