It has been a tough few days (weeks/ months/ year) in South Africa, especially for those of us living in KZN and Gauteng where the violence and brazen looting and arson is taking place. Lives, businesses, property and faith has been lost…Durban seems to be bearing the brunt of it… the townships in Gauteng are experiencing looting and violence and the destruction of infrastructure too. It is all extremely worrying and yet not really surprising…
South Africa is one of the most unequal societies in the world, with ridiculously high unemployment, especially amongst the youth, and a fragile economy that has experienced widespread corruption and looting by those in power. It is encumbered with barely functioning parastatals, a bloated and yet largely unproductive civil service and is failing at service delivery at nearly every level, but especially at the municipal level. The surprise is really that it has taken this long for widespread violence to ignite!
The scariest thing though is that the mayhem seems to be organized and targeted (at least some parts of the looting and arson, especially in Durban, appear to be). Some of the looting is done by opportunistic criminals taking advantage of the chaos and some is done by people who are desperate after a year of successive lockdowns and job losses and hunger.
However, this planned insurectionist element speaks to how close we came to a Zuma dictatorship before he was persuaded to step aside. It also speaks to the enormous damage done to the institutions of this country, particularly the organs of state that would have been needed to effect such a coup d’etat. These departments and organs appear paralyzed now – the SAPS, State Intelligence, Communications Department, Social Development, even Treasury/ SARS (although they are arguably more contested and less caprured) etc. This paralysis points to the placement of individuals from the Zuma/RET faction in key positions. To undo this damage will be the work of a generation.
Further questions must also be asked of why 1) the vice-President chose to be treated for a mystery ailment in Russia, despite the world class doctors and treatment available in South Africa, and 2) why he is conveniently abroad, with an alibi so to speak, when these forces have been put into play.
Some people will make this violence all about race (and in South Africa with our history and our still segregated and uneven economy, that isn’t hard!) Racists of all race groups will find justifications for their views of the other in the current events. The same is true of tribalists.
We are inundated with politicians from all parties and backgrounds who are gleefully exploiting the fractures in this country for their own political advantage and are engaging in demagoguery without thought for the long term consequences. We are devoid of true leadership and missing the statesmen of previous generations like Nelson Mandela…
And what of President Ramaphosa? Has he not shown leadership in getting Zuma to step aside, in appointing key figures in the NPA and other key positions, in pursuing and supporting the work of the Zondo commission/the courts/ anti-corruption prosecutions and during the Pandemic?
President Ramaphosa appears to favour the strategy of keeping his friends close and his enemies closer, which accounts for the continued existence of many problematic/ ineffective/ incapable cabinet ministers. President Ramaphosa has favored the long game, working behind the scenes to line up his shots and to permanently disable his political opponents, strategically using the law and its instruments, to do so legally. While this strategy is both cunning and morally superior to the corruption and mismanagement of the Zuma/RET factions, it requires some political and economic stability to be successful. President Ramaphosa’s strategy did not account for the global disruptions of the Covid-19 pandemic and its economic fallout and how it would disrupt his plans.
President Ramaphosa is now fighting on too many fronts. He is exhausted. The political goodwill he gained replacing Zuma and trying to initiate a New Dawn is exhausted too. Furthermore, his preference for diplomatic, behind-the-scene strategic maneuvers has lead to the appearance of an uncaring and impotent leadership, which I genuinely don’t think is the case. President Ramaphosa needs to start engaging with the man on the street and being seen to lead in this current crisis. The president needs to show compassion and strength… mostly, he needs to show his outrage. The average South African is his best ally and the largest potential source of strength and political support at this time. For every looter/ demagogue/ firebrand/ Zuma supporter, there are at least two good honest South Africans that just want a better life for them and their families. President Ramaphosa is currently being drowned out, especially on social Media, by a small, hate-filled, selfish minority who are loudly inciting violence. He urgently needs to mobilize the rest of South Africa to come out in support of the constitution, law and order and democracy.
And yet despite all of this and perhaps foolishly, I still believe in South Africa and what it can be. Yes, I was a child in 1994 and I have grown up being fed the dream and platitudes of “The Rainbow Nation”… I have been taught non-racialism, multiculturalism, unity in the face of difference/ strength in diversity, equity before the law and that all humans, regardless of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation or country of birth, are inherently valuable because of their humanity. We all have the right to life and human dignity and to exercise the human rights given voice in our constitution.
I was taught the important lesson at school and at home that with rights come responsibilities. My privilege, inherited as it is from those that came before me and were unfairly privileged, means that I have an even greater responsibility to be of service to my fellow humans and society. My faith has taught me that service, especially to those who are least privileged, is my duty and should be my joy.
It is hard at times to keep faith in my country and my fellow humans(especially as a mother with the responsibility of ensuring my children are safe and cared for and have the best possible hope of a good future). We are constantly shown just how terrible humans can be… not just in South Africa but all over the world! There is so much hate and injustice and violence, enough to break your heart. Some days I long to escape it all… to take my family and leave South Africa for somewhere safe and predictable… and some day I may still… but where can we go? I see hate and fear and violence and injustice everywhere… Gender-based violence… misogyny… school shootings… terrorism… racism… homophobia… xenophobia… human trafficking… fascism… drug crises… poverty…
The vast majority of South Africans of all races and religions cannot leave… they do not have the passports, skills or resources to do so. They have no choice but to hope for and work towards a better tomorrow. The despair of the last few days and months does not change this reality. And so, for now at least, we too will stay and fight a little harder and love a little more…
In some ways it is the worst of times but, as is often the case in South Africa, it is also the best of times as we see people’s humanity and selflessness and South Africans ability to come together and make it work despite the odds (which is, after all, South Africa’s true exceptionalism)… The state in South Africa has let us down but ordinary people are coming together to protect their homes and businesses and livelihoods and to help where they can with what ever they have… The ordinary everyday heroes who struggle to get up and feed their families and build a better future have been dealt some incredibly vicious and unfair blows recently… and yet some how they get back up and keep on going… amazingly they even find the ability to help others, to be compassionate and, somehow, even to smile (sometimes through their tears)- their strength and bravery is phenomenal!
I worry about the weeks ahead – the job losses, food and fuel insecurity- especially in areas where all shops and pharmacies have been destroyed. Already some businesses are saying they are unlikely to rebuild. Once again, it is the working poor and unemployed, as well as the most vulnerable in our society who will be worst affected.
Furthermore, as we have seen in the past, violence in South Africa has a tendency to become xenophobic, especially towards Black foreigners. This is often tacitly encouraged by political inaction and sometimes by explicit utterances (look at Herman Mashaba if you need any evidence of this).
Our crippled economy has been weakened even further by this looting, especially with violence essentially cutting off (hopefully temporarily) the main economic corridor of the N3 highway between the economic heartland of Gauteng and the port of Durban.
This instability will dissuade potential investors and will make raising loans for rebuilding even harder (never mind the fact that South Africa is already heavily indebted). We must act to ensure that our currency remains stable despite current events, and to slow capital flight or risk a sovereign debt crisis.
This violence will persuade many of the our most skilled and educated of all races to immigrate (of those who have held out till now), reducing further the skills pool and tax base that will be needed to deal with the aftermath of this crisis. While a basic income grant of some sort seems like the logical next step of a socio-economic pact to stabilize the country, it just became even harder to finance this initiative.
There will be an inevitable spike in Covid cases as this violence is taking place during the vicious third wave… and at a time when our hospitals and healthcare workers are already buckling under the strain of having worked to save lives in an underresourced and fragile healthcare system.
However, despite all this, we do have some strengths to celebrate. We have a phenomenal free press who are doing their utmost to keep us informed and to keep holding the powerful to account. The courts are holding strong. Civil Society remains strong, vibrant and engaged. Indeed, they often have the type of support and legitimacy that local politicians could only dream of – see for example, the widespread support for Gift of the Givers.
This violence does raise questions about the future of South Africa far beyond the pain and recovery of the next few months. It has highlighted once again the weaknesses and partisanship of all political parties, and not just the ANC. It is possible that this will be the straw that breaks the camel’s (or ANC’s) back, with it splintering into two distinct factions, possibly along political leadership lines (I.e. Zuma vs Ramaphosa lines) or along provincial or tribal lines (Zulus vs the rest). One thing is certain, many South Africans have lost faith in the ability of the ANC to reform itself and in some cases, it’s ability to govern. Nevertheless, the process of unseating the ANC electorally still remains difficult and would still result in political instability.
What has become equally clear is that the DA has retreated once again to becoming a party for minorities, particularly the white minority. While it still garners some support, in the absence of a viable alternative, many educated employed young South Africans of all races find them hard to stomach and do not share their vision of the future.
While the EFF continues to appeal to the young, the unemployed, and the disenfranchised, they have struggled to convert their political rhetoric and electoral support into viable governance alternatives and policies. The pandemic has weakened them, particularly the leaders implicated in corruption and misogyny. Their vastly contradictory messages on the pandemic response etc has not gone unnoticed either.
One of the biggest issues facing South Africa is the lack of appeal and of original ideas of all the political parties. Furthermore, the collective age of recognized and trusted leaders and the lack of visible and viable succession planning is terrifying.
The next election that South Africans have the opportunity to vote in, dependent on violence and the pandemic, is the Local Government Elections. While I foresee a large number of disenchanted voters choosing to forgo voting, I also think it is time for Civil Society and South Africans to seize the opportunity to vote for competent individuals focused on service delivery and community development as opposed to political parties.
While a socio-economic as well as a security response is necessary to deal with the current crisis, going forward we need a new social compact in South Africa.
I would support a once off wealth tax (provided I could be assured it too wouldn’t be looted).
We need to come together to create political parties that show not just who we are now, but also who we want to be (Perhaps Gift of the Givers should be our model)
South Africans need to realize that no one is coming to save us. We can’t trust the current contested hamstring government to save us either! Forming vigilante Security Groups is a short term solution with potentially scary long term consequences (think civil war like instability as they scrabble for power). The only way to solve our crisis is for civil society, religious groups and every citizen to come together, have the hard conversations and plan our way out of our current challenges.
Above all else, in these dark times remember, the majority of people are kind and compassionate… we’ll be ok even if we are sad and scared and overwhelmed right now…. We just need to keep the faith!
-Dr L Jernberg, 14 July 2021
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Leaza Jernberg 