More misses than hits in fulfilling 2009 promises

THE ruling party has had more misses than hits in implementing the promises set out in its manifesto for the last national elections.

This is according to experts who believe that, while the ANC has delivered on some of its promises, there are a number of areas where it has achieved only a small percentage of its plans.

During the 2009 election campaign, the ANC identified five priorities: the creation of decent work and sustainable livelihoods, education, health, rural development, food security, land reform and fighting crime and corruption.

Some of the successes of its 2009 manifesto include the launch of the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA), the introduction of early childhood education, increasing the child support grant age from 15 to 18, and increasing access to housing.

Economist Mike Schussler said the biggest problem in promising to create jobs was that the population had grown since 2009.

“There has been great improvement in the formal sector with benefits and such. And they have done well with the creation of formal housing, but where we have not done well is the creation of sustainable income.”

He said while the NYDA was created, the youth were still struggling with unemployment.

On education, the party promised to ensure 60% of schools were no-fee schools, and to improve the quality of schooling.

“Yes, around 60% of schools are no fee-schools, and there are programmes in place to curb illiteracy, but all that is just scratching the surface of the department,” education expert Professor Susan Van Rensburg said.

She said teacher training colleges, which the ANC promised to reopen in some areas in 2009, have not been formally started.

The party promised to intensify land reform to ensure access for rural poor.

But Rhodes University dean of humanities and co-author of The Promise of

Land, Professor Fred Hendricks, said all plans for land reform in the past five years had failed.

On health, the party promised to introduce National Health Insurance, cut new HIV infections by 50% and improve the quality of healthcare.

Treatment Action Campaign head of policy Marcus Low said while a number of NHI pilot districts were running, progress on NHI had been very slow.

He said the antiretroviral programme had been massively scaled-up over the past five years.

“But, while people are clearly living longer with HIV, it seems unlikely the rate of new infections has been cut by 50%.”