Good leaders, inspired individuals and universities can save Eastern Cape
AFAIR assessment of postapartheid governance in the Eastern Cape should be that overall, we have all failed.
National, provincial and local government, traditional leaders, big and small business, the not-for-profit sector, academia, communities and influential individuals. Some have done well in limited areas, but we must admit overall failure.
It would be a good start to recognise the many missed opportunities, the dire consequences thereof, and the immensity and urgency of the work that must still be done.
We have failed despite our collective intellectual depth, the abundant natural beauty of our province, a remarkable history of heroic struggle that should be inspiring us and a youthful population, among many potential drivers of growth.
We have crisis-ridden education and health systems, too many gravel roads that are largely unmaintained, and other infrastructure deficiencies.
We have vast areas of fertile land lying fallow, untapped tourism potential, a bad work ethic in the public sector and village residents who use the backs of bakkies as daily paid public transport.
Most crucially, we generally hover at more than 40% “expanded” unemployment, with towns and villages in areas like the OR Tambo district worst affected. This is a more helpful statistic than the official version.
Our huge socioeconomic problems are a blank canvas for entrepreneurs, innovators, visionaries, courageous leaders and workers in all sectors.
Eastern Cape premier Phumulo Masualle is a decent man, I think. However, his crusade of “war rooms” is a duplication of communication channels and a waste of limited but much-needed resources.
Expressly, it is driven by concern over service delivery protests and, I would argue, with 2019 in mind.
Delivering the provincial budget speech recently, the economic development MEC Sakhumzi Somyo’s multiple use of “simanxadanxada” (we are very busy) was poetic. One just wishes the results were more visible.
Political leadership and publicsector performance are the most important strands to drive a new way of doing things.
How many times have the Eastern Cape cabinet and legislature, the municipal councils and senior officials taken their high-profile events to a village 40km or more out of town on an unmaintained gravel road, in the same way that many of the people they represent have to travel to access the simplest of services?
Given the generally appalling standards of service, how many times have senior government officials stayed in remote villages for two days or more to assist the local delivery points to improve the quality of services? Here are a few suggestions: Put the best people in key positions. Their race, and whether they have a history with or membership of the ANC, or where they come from, should not matter. The younger they are, the more educated, the more varied their corporate and public-sector experiences, the better. We have to change the culture, and fast.
The likes of the EFF, United Democratic Movement and DA must champion local issues and start their political campaigns for 2019 in the Eastern Cape, in earnest, now.
I hold no brief for any of them, but political competition inspires good governance. The opposition’s cooperation that ousted the ANC in strategic metros was the single most patriotic act in our recent political life.
It hopefully sends a strong message to the ANC-led government of the Eastern Cape that “you are in charge, and the people are suffering, severely”. Traditional leaders should exercise no political influence over their subjects.
The state and every citizen must agitate for value and urgency in the delivery of the province’s capital projects. Beyond litigation, the N2 Wild Coast Toll Road and the uMzimvubu Dam have been long delayed. While we go at a snail’s pace, three provinces continue to dominate the economic narrative.
As long as we tolerate brazen corruption and impunity, we will not achieve critical goals. The lack of good management and supervision in expanded public works programmes is clear from the daily outcomes.
It is clear from the consistently poor provincial performance in matric results that many schools are underperforming. The “pass” mark is already substandard, yet many schools struggle to achieve a 50% pass rate.
Education districts and schools management must come to the party. We are setting up a whole generation of young people for failure in life in a world full of opportunity. Throughout the developing world, there are many schools in poor areas that are under-resourced yet still do well.
The voice and visibility of organised business in the province is sadly lacking. Attracting substantial foreign and domestic investors for small towns and villages is necessary, especially in tourism. The network of support structures for entrepreneurs needs drastic expansion.
Social grants and rare public works “work opportunities” are not going to help us grow an economy in the way China did, for example. Government and state-owned enterprises will never create the quantity of jobs that we need.
The rich, middle-class and working-class sons and daughters of the Eastern Cape, wherever they now find themselves, must reconnect with their local communities to share their skills and knowledge.
Sometimes you’ll be treated with suspicion and a lack of enthusiasm, but persist.
Go back home more, invite your friends and associates. Raise funds and mobilise for resources.
Many youths are out of school and out of work and those who are studying often have spare time.
Many are often engaged in destructive behaviour. Volunteering need not be a government creation with stipends. The youth will grow from unpaid public service, the need for their energy and fresh ideas is immense. Big and small businesses will benefit from engaging with poverty-stricken communities and investing in the future.
The province’s four established universities and other tertiary institutions can do far more in community engagement.
There are many opportunities, especially in villages. They will do better when they work together rather than in silos – from igniting interest in science and maths, helping with extra classes in schools and colleges, working with agricultural extension officers, offering short-term, discounted or free training and more.
We can and must make every corner of the “home of legends” the major attraction for South Africa, and the world that it should be.
Ngantweni, a former public servant, is an academic and motivational speaker who was raised at Nkanga village, Libode, Eastern Cape, where he still has a modest home. This column first appeared in Business Day