SA requires unpopular decisions

MAY 8: CAN ANY PARTY TAKE SA FORWARD?

entities. While the idea itself may win popular support, the picture will change once those found guilty of “minor crimes” start feeling it personally.

Without a significant improvement in economic growth, narrowing the budget deficit and reducing debt will require cutting back on big-ticket items like the wage bill. This would necessarily mean fewer posts and lower wage increases. Any politician willing to propose this?

An issue that doesn’t get nearly the amount of airtime required is how South Africa tries to improve the quality of its education system and develop skills that can thrive in an era of unprecedented technological advancement. Currently, it makes sense for government to pursue policies that can support jobs for low-skilled workers, but what happens in 10 or 20 years’ time? Will those jobs still be required?

To improve South Africa’s quality of education, teachers wouldn’t only have to pitch up for work, but some rigorous evaluation process would have to be instituted. Decisions unlikely to win votes.

This doesn’t mean all is lost – it just highlights the difficulty in appealing to voters’ interests when it’s often their values that drive decisions.

Long term, tough interventions will be necessary and looking to politicians to lead the charge on their own will be naive.

I had a university journalism lecturer who was highly critical of religion. But towards the end of the year, he made a comment that stuck with me: it would be church leaders, not political leaders who would take South Africa forward.

Thuli Madonsela’s State of Capture report. The first complainant was a Catholic priest.

Perhaps we underestimate what can be achieved when everyone starts playing a role, instead of just waiting for politicians. Even if it’s just stopping at a red traffic light.