As the ANC convenes for its 55th National Elective Conference in Gauteng, the time has come for the party to look deep into its soul and ask itself serious questions about the direction it’s taking our country.
South Africa is in need of credible solutions to tackle the problems of systemic corruption, spiralling crime levels, repeated service delivery failures in areas such as health and education, the cost of living crisis and a stagnant economy – an economy strangled by the national failure to provide reliable electricity supplies to homes and businesses.
While our problems are manifold, it’s imperative on us now to fix the most pressing problems that we face, such as:
Power supply: There must now be an immediate and relentless focus on a national level to ensure power stability and to get the grid functional. Without a supply of regular available electricity, we have an economy that is not just in decline but one that is crashing.
The absence of a secure power supply impacts on all our daily lives – from how big industry operates to how our students learn. Without urgent action, we will simply not be able to stabilise our economy and that is a serious threat to all of us. But in finding a solution, we need to avoid political interference in this process. That means all the major players – from the president, the minister and energy CEO – working to the same agenda in order to fix the problems before them. The current power crisis is fixable – it can be resolved – we just need to depoliticise the matter and work together on solutions. It is also crucial that they focus on the operation and maintenance of our existing power infrastructure. In other words, there is no correlation between the age of a power plant and its performance – just as long as it’s properly maintained. Sadly, this something that is not happening. While it’s important that we embrace renewable energy in the future, currently it doesn’t form the backbone of our main energy supply. We’re simply not in a position to turn our back on the current system of power generation. It’s estimated the cost of load shedding to the country has been an unsustainable R1 trillion – coincidentally, the same cost as building a new nuclear energy plant six years ago. We cannot as a country afford missed opportunities like this in the future.
Crime: It is now clear what impact rising crime is having on our society. The correlation between a lack of opportunity and unemployment is leading directly to this rise in crime. To address this, there needs to be a complete overhaul of our police, defence and their related intelligence divisions, in addition to our traditional intelligence services. Our forces need proper training, the restoration of discipline and respect – the underpinning fundamentals of the services that have sadly been lost. Resourcing the security cluster with the latest, greatest crimefighting and technological advancements. Integration of databases is essential. We also need to ensure that police stations become beacons of hope for people.
Economy: Let’s be clear – South
Africa has no future as a low wage, low skilled economy. We need a strong private sector that is supported by public sector activity – this is in stark contrast to those who say they’re in favour of private sector growth but plainly do not understand that public and private should not be seen as enemies but as allies. Having had a career in business, I know that only by having a proactive government can we ever hope to attract inward investment into our country. It’s also time for a new industrial strategy – one to support local businesses and attract the jobs and inward investment we desperately need – in addition to making sure the government invests in skills. We also know technology now plays a vital role in our economy and we cannot simply take that for granted.
Food and water: We must take all necessary steps to ensure our natural resources are protected and taken care of. There must be a focus on sustainability by protecting our waterways (rivers and dams), the collection of harmful waste and litter for recycling. But crucially, we must make sure our people are properly fed. It is unacceptable that as we approach 2023, this cannot be taken as a given right.
Society: Our routes to securing peace and prosperity, to creating safety and security are central to the fabric of our nation. Unless these principles exist, we cannot deliver on all other ambitions we want to achieve. It’s important that South African society becomes more ‘hands on’ – and plays its part in resolving current problems. Government needs to be brought closer to the public – and only by doing so can South Africa win. We need stop politicising everything and start working together. It’s time for South Africans of every race religion and tribe to find their voice and take their rightful place at the table.
It’s time to create a new vision for South Africa. A bold and ambitious vision for our country – a vision in which no one is left behind. In doing this, we have to tackle the unacceptable levels of poverty that exist across the nation. The impoverished people of our country are voiceless – so we have to find a way of giving that silent majority a real voice in addressing the problems they face.
In creating this vision, we must also recognise that what we do impacts far beyond our borders. Africa as a whole looks towards South Africa for inspiration on many different levels.
We now have in our hands, the opportunity and ability to effect change – real change in our country.
Let’s grasp this moment. Let’s work!
Duduzane Zuma, chairperson of ANC Ward 11, Durban
The Star