Hard to ignore Lesotho’s lessons for the ANC
DEMOCRACY is the leading political model in the world, but that does not mean it has been perfected. A more acceptable model would be one where there is less, but more efficient, government.
The level of support for democracy around the world must be seen in this context. It surpasses 80%, but when the performance of leaders is evaluated, the rating drops by more than 25%. It is time leaders wake up to the fact that the only way to close this gap is to employ efficiency programmes in bloated bureaucracies.
This type of programme is working already. An incentivised, teamdriven government call centre operation in the US recently beat private sector competitors in an independent survey of clients. Similar results have been achieved in some Australian government departments.
An increasing number of moves to establish independent parties and the need for coalitions reflect the problem, although they are rather crude ways of trying to solve it. Yet many governments think hiring more bureaucrats is the answer, especially in SA.
Large-scale protests and general unhappiness over its 56,6% poverty rate, one-third HIV infection, lack of education and growth prospects drove support for the party that had ruled for 14 years in Lesotho down to an approval rating of 39% prior to the May elections. The majority party was also accused of being arrogant, refusing to listen to the needs of the people or the opposition. Something had to give, and it did. Lesotho now has a new government, a shaky coalition that includes left-leaning and rightist elements.
While Lesotho had previously espoused Pan Africanist principles and hence moved away from proper discourse with the more liberal, leftleaning African National Congress (ANC), the new prime minister and head of the coalition, Tom Thabane, wants to mend this broken relationship by speaking a new language. This will include a common heritage — both the ANC and Lesotho suffered under apartheid. It will also be the language of a mutually beneficial business relationship, albeit increasingly localised for foreign investors.
Mr Thabane stands a good chance of pulling it off. His relationship with President Jacob Zuma is healthy — he helped to shelter many ANC people from the apartheid government — and saw his country bombed twice for his trouble.
But while both men may want to move to improve ties and business relations, SA can start by dropping its expensive border charges.
The African Union stopped short of calling for annexation of Lesotho by SA — but its assessment is that far more integration is needed. If this does not happen, groups that are calling for total integration with SA will be taken seriously. SA has balked at the prospect, but if it does not do anything to help Lesotho improve, what is left?
If SA secretly harbours ambitions of blocking Lesotho’s chances with the recent border charge rises — as high as R500 one way for people trying to conduct transport business — then the country may falter so badly it will need to be annexed anyway. That makes the ANC’s stance on annexation and what it is doing in practice disingenuous.
Better ties are important to SA too, because Gauteng may be without enough water to meet growing demand as early as 2015. The acid mine drainage problem is a serious concern for the security of water supply as mining in six provinces would be affected.
So it is good to hear Mr Thabane say he is fully in support of getting phase two of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project moving so that it can come on stream in 2020. But the ANC must apply caution — he wants to see more benefit for Lesotho from these initiatives. That’s not asking too much.
Building a good relationship would not hurt SA at all, but some compromises may be needed. The time has passed for political ideology to stand in the way — the future is about gaining efficiencies and benefiting the people, who own the water anyway.
But the Lesotho election raises another concern. If a coalition has occurred in the UK for the first time since the Second World War and now for the first time in Southern Africa in a former British protectorate, should not the ANC be getting just a little worried?
Rifts are opening in its own ranks, as in Lesotho prior to the May elections. It does not engage with the opposition much. Poverty is sky-high despite numerous projects, which are only making a small number of people rich. Service delivery protests are hotting up again. And the government is bloated and seen as a major employer, in which cadre deployment is rife.
The Lesotho coalition has got off on the wrong foot by adding many more cabinet ministers than such a small country needs — up to 24 from 17 before. This trumps Greece at 17, where the problems in need of fixing are even starker.
There are simply too many similarities to ignore. A long road lies ahead for Lesotho, as this coalition is not going to be easy, but it is what the people want, and that is a good start. Both governments should take care not to ignore the loud voices of disgruntled citizens. They are saying: improve efficiencies or you are out.