South Africa may not be as good as it is possible to be, but we stand firm

IT’S EASY to become dispirited during these times of global conflict. The conflicts we are witnessing in Israel, Syria and the Ukraine seem to require principled and brave leadership. Yet, that seems in short supply as vested interests trump principle.

How many more planes need to be downed and children killed on beaches for the world to be moved into action?

The conditions, ripe for Putin’s flagrant actions in the Ukraine, have been tied in some way to the democratic regression we have seen in the Ukraine since that country’s wave of revolutions. That leads one to think more carefully about South Africa and our travails.

Our country faces enormous challenges of unemployment, inequality and poverty. Yet, what Marikana and subsequent stubborn strikes have shown is that workers no longer seem content with the crumbs from the employers’ tables and that equally mining companies are set to mechanise or shut up shop as a response. It sets up a toxic mix if one adds to it increasing public and private sector corruption and nepotism.

Much has been made this past week of the appointment of President Zuma’s 25year-old daughter to the position of chief of staff in the Telecommunications and Postal Services Ministry. Whatever the rules of political appointments are, the problem is it simply doesn’t look very good.

Thuthukile Zuma has no tangible experience for this complex role, despite her honours degree. Someone near the president and Minister Cwele ought to whisper the stench around it is one of nepotism. The point about that is: if it doesn’t look and feel right (and this appointment does not), while it may not be legally wrong, it creates the perception that Thuthukile Zuma has been appointed because she is the president’s daughter. The president himself is mired in enough controversy to last him a lifetime, why add to it?

But, all the accountability debates aside South Africa’s democracy has remained resilient. The farewell reception for Dutch ambassador Andre Haspels provided an opportunity for reflection, diplomatically by Haspels and perhaps undiplomatically by those of us who participated in the panel discussion marking his return to The Hague. The discussion, chaired by Dutch journalist Bram Vermeulen, reflected the many layers of South African life, its complexity and the post-apartheid challenges, which do not have any obvious answers.

We seemed, however, to return to the common theme of social dialogue and social solidarity repeatedly. How do we bridge divides and seek to continue building the new from the ashes of the old, especially when the old sits uncomfortably with us? And how do we create social solidarity among class groups? It would in some way mean we all have to give up something to ensure our society does not implode under the weight of inequality and injustice. Quite how we do that is a matter for debate, but it must mean leaving our comfort zones.

For companies that might mean cutting their bottom line expectations during wage negotiations. For politicians, it might mean giving up the luxury associated with public office. Just last week, President Zuma’s bullish blue-light brigade held up Cape traffic for hours: not a way to build social solidarity nor is Nkandla, come to think of it.

As citizens, it must mean thinking differently about how we live and the silos we build to keep the other out. It might also mean participating more actively to strengthen local democracy where we are and demand greater accountability in the face of increasing corruption. There will be no quick fixes.

Recently there have been debates about our national anthem and whether the “compromise” section, which includes Die Stem ought to be retained. Cyril Ramaphosa, now charged with dealing with questions of social dialogue weighed in when he said we ought to be persuading each other of the value of the compromises reached in 1994. He is right – our divisions lie deep. Yet, it remains inevitable that in a country which has not dealt adequately with its past, these issues will rear their heads from time to time.

Our conversation concluded that despite it all, South Africans are speaking out and challenging abuses of power.

Looking at the intractable conflict that is the Middle East, we can be grateful that our leaders were prepared to engage reason over war. It may not be perfect, but we are standing our ground.

February was part of a panel discussion with outgoing Dutch ambassador, Andre Haspels and Fanie du Toit of IJR.