‘Better life for all’ goes belly up

When Desmond Tutu minted the phrase “the Rainbow Nation” to refer to the people of South Africa, he alluded to the fact that the beauty of this natural phenomenon is because of the contribution which each of its distinct parts makes to the harmonious whole.

And in those heady years after our first democratic election in 1994, many believed that without racebased laws and discrimination, there would truly be a pot of gold at the end of our rainbow.

The fairy-tale mix was made real by the presence of Nelson Mandela, a global icon of peace, reconciliation and honesty.

That is why it is understandable that yesterday, the 28th anniversary of Freedom Day, the overwhelming narrative was of failure, anger and recrimination.

Just over a generation after we voted for a brave, new world, South Africa has already slipped a few steps down the road to being a failed state,

Much of the reason – as many pointed out yesterday – is that the ANC has failed to deliver its much vaunted “Better life for all”.

Rampant looting – in which more than R1.5 trillion of taxpayer money was stolen during the state capture years (and which continues today) – as well as nepotism and cadre deployment have decimated government at all levels, leading to people protesting daily about the lack of services.

Millions of illegal immigrants have poured into the country as the ANC burnished its Pan-African credentials, but left behind simmering anger and xenophobia which have become the biggest security issue facing us.

Faction fighting within the ruling party has led to near-rebellion in some parts of the country – and that issue is still festering. Unemployment is off the charts and the economy is hobbling along.

Freedom is not freedom with a belly rumbling with hunger.

And hunger quickly turns to anger.