Political turmoil comes at too high a price
WITH great turbulence, without letup, the gusty winds of the political season are blowing, sweeping away whatever remained of restraint, as comrade turns against comrade.
Statements are being traded by the different factions, each trying to convince the populace of their legitimacy and benevolence while, at the same time, articulating how anti-revolutionary the others are.
For the common folk, perhaps, the merits of the intricate game, in its various stages, are long lost. It takes some effort to keep apace of the developments around the raging battles for the control of South Africa, its levers of power and the political economy.
Amid these developments, it’s very easy to forget where we have come from. South Africa is founded upon principles of non-racialism, non-sexism and equity. Experience informs us that what remains of such clashes and battles are baser identities that ultimately sort us into primitive survival modes, based on race, tribe, ethnicity and class.
It is for this reason that we would like to appeal to the masses in the country, before the planned protests, not to lose the bigger picture of saving South Africa, the home of us all. As the adage goes, we do not want to throw the baby out with the bath water.
What we should safeguard, so that it outlives each and every succeeding regime, is the rule of law, the freedoms we enjoy and our quest for equity and fairness.
The current events and those of the recent past, remind us that collapsing national interests into egotistical fights compromises the noble intention of making South Africa a better place. It is, therefore, our responsibility to remain vigilant and conscious, ensuring that political polarisation neither eclipses nor sacrifices national priorities at the altar of narrow interests.
Any reforms devoid of moderation and a common understanding are likely to set in motion a zero-sum game, where one interest group perceives a gain, while the rest become alienated outsiders, generating unending disquiet.
This is an opportune time to review our commitment to constitutionalism and rule of law. In such an exercise of stock-taking, let us not only assert our right to demand the stepping down of a president but also affirm, wherever applicable, his constitutional prerogatives.
Whether the Zuma administration remains in power or not, South Africans will never be comfortable in an environment where corruption remains entrenched, patronage and cronyism replace merit, and expediency trumps principle.
These ills are a common enemy. Many people have spoken of how only the judiciary remains as the last line of defence of our rightsbased constitutional order.
However, a tell-tale sign of strains in our political order is the frequency with which we have to settle matters of governance, executive decisions and legislative lapses, in the courts of law.
For this reason, we should not take the resilience of our system for granted.
Constitutionalism has to be in every tier and sphere of government. As long as the spirit of the constitution does not permeate every mind, all political parties, within civil society and in public service, we are going to reduce ourselves to a litigious nation at a great cost to our developmental aspirations.
At this stage, the ANC should therefore consider how many times the nation has been brought to this kind of brink.
For a long time we have been told why the ANC still hurts for recalling then president Thabo Mbeki. The implication was that rather than recalling President Zuma, the party would rein him in to act more judiciously, his presidential prerogatives notwithstanding.
This time around, the party has to take full responsibility for the current fall-out. The ANC should lead in steadying the nation back to political stability, so that, among others, we return with urgency to dealing with the bread-and-butter issues of making quality tertiary education affordable, stopping the next Esidimeni disaster from happening and making South Africa the destination of job-creating longterm investment. For this reason, we appeal for unity of purpose.
It is common knowledge that where intrigue and conspiracies loom large, productivity suffers and matters of national importance become relegated among priorities.
The Zuma administration should, for its part, take heed of the legitimate concerns that have given rise to the current upheavals.
As long as South Africa remains on this turbulent pathway of political turmoil, we will continue to lose jobs and miss out on key targets and indicators of socio-economic development. We cannot afford to stay on this detour.
Ebrahim Bham is the secretary-general of the Jamiatul Ulama South Africa, the council of Muslim theologians based in Johannesburg. He is also the imam at Newtown’s Hamidia Masjid.