EDITED EXTRACT

Wanted: a summit for all to save SA

FROM the early years of his political career, Bantu Holomisa has advocated the idea of a multistakeholder gathering where the problems confronting South Africa could be discussed and solutions reached by consensus.

This is informed by his belief that the problems the country faces are bigger than the solution offered by any one political party.

In 2008, the United Democratic Movement set the ball rolling in an attempt to unite opposition parties behind a common goal. At a meeting organised by Terror (Mosiuoa) Lekota and Mbhazima Shilowa and their followers after they served “divorce papers” on the ANC prior to the establishment of Cope, the UDM argued that it would not be in the best interests of all South Africans if the debate was only about political alliances.

Any serious discussion about realigning the political landscape should not be confined to political parties, but should also embrace stakeholders from civil society.

Holomisa argued that realignment was not an alliance of political parties. “It is a rewriting of the political map, a realignment of ideas, the regrouping of people around new concepts that have been thrown up by the changes that have taken place.”

The negotiations and transition to democracy of the 1990s made a lasting impression on Holomisa. As he was a participant in the process, it became his point of reference in his discussion about political realignment.

He says the coming together of social forces always produces an outcome that is acceptable to all because all have been part of the decision-making process.

He maintains that it is not enough to march and call for President Jacob Zuma to step down. There must be a time when everybody has to sit down and thrash out a lasting solution.

“We cannot afford to be short-sighted. Should Zuma fall, what then? Or worse, if he does not vacate his office, what should happen?”

The time has come to focus on short-term issues such as campaigning for the president to resign and on fundamental problems such as land.

“The land issue, whether one likes it or not, is at the core of our national identity. It needs to be laid to rest so that inflammatory rhetoric does not lead to South Africa becoming a second Zimbabwe.”

He says common ground has to be found by all stakeholders.

“With our struggling economy, lawlessness, poverty, unemployment and many other ills, we need to have leaders who are equal to this task. To secure accountable leadership, we need to institute a deliberate, direct participatory democracy model where the president and members of Parliament report to the people.

“In the end, the national convention should produce a well-hammered-out common vision in which we can all believe and which government can implement.”

Holomisa looks at issues that have bedevilled South Africa. Unemployment, poverty, inequality and a lack of growth persist despite the introduction of a raft of programmes to counter them, like the Reconstruction and Development Programme .

“We never publicly admitted their failure and did not hold a funeral when each of these policies died a quiet death.”

More recently, Zuma has come up with the term “radical economic transformation”, which he has used to whip up support among the poor as criticism of his rule increased, although there was neither a discussion document nor a proposal from the ANC about this policy. “It seemed to be more of a ‘radical procurement process’ for the friends and family of the ruling elite.”

These legacies have created a mismatch between South Africa’s political economy and the society whose aspirations the system was meant to fulfil.

“Our role as leaders is to do everything in our power to maximise efforts to make South Africa a winning nation, not only for our benefit, but also for those who follow in our footsteps.”

He envisages a summit of leaders of political and civil society to exchange ideas on how to take South Africa forward.

Holomisa observes that although South Africa has many positive characteristics, such as a vibrant democracy governed by a modern constitution, with a Bill of Rights that guarantees individual and collective freedoms, as well as a robust legal system, the complexity and extent of our problems have become overwhelming.

It concerns Holomisa that the country’s slide has accelerated since Zuma took charge. He stresses a need to assess the progress made since the negotiated settlement of the mid-1990s.

“It is incumbent on any nation not only to monitor its performance in terms of its declared goals, but also to review the relevance of those goals in the light of emerging socio-economic changes and challenges.

“Hindsight gives us the means to see if the plans we made, at that point, have addressed the country’s inherent deficiencies or whether it is time to go back to the drawing board.”

Notwithstanding the

DA’S reservations about the ruling party’s participation, Holomisa informed the ANC about the initiative in writing through its secretary-general, Gwede Mantashe, and the head of government business and deputy president, Cyril Ramaphosa.

However, the ANC’S future participation in the process was unclear as the party was embroiled in its own leadership contests and political squabbles in the run-up to the December 2017 national elective conference.

But in a subsequent meeting of the opposition parties, it was agreed that participation in the proposed convention must be open to all.

The parties resolved that a Problem Statement about the state of the nation be formulated and thereafter an inclusive steering committee set up to prepare an agenda.

The convention initiative of the UDM culminated in the “Draft Problem Statement” accepted by all the parties.

The parties that participated in the pre-convention process were the UDM, EFF, DA, IFP, Cope, ACDP, FFP, African Independent Congress, African People’s Convention, Agang

SA, and the National Freedom Party.

It is clear that Holomisa’s strength lies in bringing people together. He has mastered the art of consultation and of bringing together stakeholders, particularly in times of crisis.

As a leader, he is always on the front line in initiatives that involve dialogue. He is a leader who appeals to all political role players and his mediation services are widely sought.

As Holomisa has said: “We need to restore the dignity and respect that South Africa once enjoyed as a country under our great Nelson Mandela in the eyes of the world.

“We need to extricate the country from the quagmire it is in and change the negative image it has as a result of corruption perpetrated at the highest level.

“Our solutions must prioritise enacting laws to deal with those who are found with their hands in the till, plundering public resources.”

There is no doubt that holding a national convention during Holomisa’s lifetime would be the crowning achievement of his political career.