South Africa: 20 Years of Freedom: Briefing paper

Transcription

1 South Africa: 20 Years of Freedom: Briefing paper South Africa marks 20 years as a democratic country in April is Freedom Day, the anniversary of South Africa s first democratic elections. What has happened? What has been achieved? What are the key challenges South Africa faces? Background South Africa After the unbanning of the African National Congress (ANC) and other political parties, and then the release of Nelson Mandela in February 1990, negotiations began to move South Africa from a racist white supremacy apartheid state to a democratic one. The negotiations were not easy, the leaders of the apartheid state did not quickly or easily accept one person one vote. There was a systematic attempt by part of the apartheid regime to weaken the ANC through support for violence including so called black on black violence. Politically related killings doubled between compared to There were several massacres, most notably at Bisho and Boipatong. The General Secretary of the South African Communist Party was murdered by white extremists. At several points it was thought that South Africa may explode into a full scale conflict. President de Klerk and other white establishment leaders were pushed to the negotiating table by a combination of internal and external factors. Apartheid was breaking down because of widespread and multi-faceted opposition by black South Africans. International sanctions and the perception by banks and multinational companies that South Africa was no longer a stable place in which to invest combined to starve the economy of foreign investment. In particular, after the bank loans crisis of 1985 it became prohibitively expensive for the apartheid state to borrow. During the negotiations the ANC agreed to so called sunset clauses in which public servants employed under apartheid would be guaranteed their jobs and pensions rights. Following the elections in April 1994, from which the ANC emerged as the largest party with over 60 per cent of the vote, a government of national unity was formed. The challenges were immense. South Africa was basically broke. There was minus $25billion in the government account. Apartheid had repressed and divided the country. The rights of more than 85 per cent of the population had been denied to provide a privileged lifestyle to most, but not all, whites. There had been a denial of political, civil, economic and social rights. Most of the population received few and/or poor services from the state. Yet South Africa was the largest economy on the continent but the economy was built on repressing the majority and providing a small minority with a good quality of life. The goal and policy of Nelson Mandela and the leaders of the ANC was that in future South Africa would be for all, not the few. It would be a unitary inclusive state in which the rights of all would be upheld. The advice and messages they received from leaders across Africa including President Julius Nyere of Tanzania, President Chissano of Mozambique and yes, President Mugabe of Zimbabwe, was to be inclusive, to retain and use the skills of whites whilst trying to deal with the inequalities and injustice of the past. 1

2 The cold war had ended. The dominant economic paradigm was global capitalism. A democratic South Africa would have to deal with not just the legacy of nearly 50 years of apartheid but 350 years of colonialism which had been marked by exploitation and discrimination. The region The ending of apartheid had a dramatic impact on the region. Namibia: Following the successes of Angolan and Cuban forces in the battle around Cuito Cuanavale in 1988 South Africa agreed to UN resolution 435 and its forces would leave Namibia, which in 1989 held its first democratic elections and achieved its independence on 21 March Mozambique: the weakening and imminent demise of the apartheid state, the largest backer of Renamo, contributed to the peace accords in 1992 and elections in Malawi: the ending of apartheid put the spotlight on one party rule in Malawi and following a referendum in 1993 Malawi held multi-party elections in Angola: a cease fire was agreed and elections held in UNITA refused to accept the outcome and plunged the country back to war which lasted until 2002, when Jonas Savimbi was killed and UNITA then agreed to cease fighting. Southern Africa Development Coordination Conference (SADCC) to the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC): SADCC had been formed by a Memorandum of Understanding of States in Southern Africa in 1980 ) in support of national liberation and to reduce their dependency on apartheid South Africa. Its members included those frontline states against apartheid which were subject to attacks from apartheid South Africa. In 1992 SADCC was transformed by a treaty into SADC with the emphasis on regional integration, democratic principles and equitable and sustainable development to alleviate poverty and enhance the standard and quality of life of the peoples of southern Africa. SADC is larger than SADCC was. South Africa is a member as is DRC and the islands in the Indian Ocean, Madagascar, Mauritius and the Seychelles. South Africa: Achievements since Constitution. In 1996 South Africa agreed a new constitution which is widely regarded as one the best in the world in providing rights for its citizens. Its Bill of Rights prohibits discrimination on grounds including race, gender, marital status, sexual orientation, disability and belief. South Africa is one of few states internationally to recognise gay marriage. 2. Vibrant democracy South Africa will hold its fifth democratic election on 7 May On the eve of the 1994 election many commentators predicted South Africa would slide into chaos and violence. The turnout at the 2009 election was 77 per cent (UK 2010 turnout 65 per cent) 3. Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC): The TRC was established in recognition that the violence of the apartheid system affected all and had led to human rights abuses across society. While some debate the impact of the TRC it has influenced work in post conflict countries around the world. 2

3 4. Position of women: 45% of parliamentarians are women; the third highest in world (UK is 23% and USA 18%). In cabinet it is 38% women (UK 15%). 5. Electricity: 4.2 million homes were electrified between 1994 and 2006 and 85 per cent of homes now have electricity compared to 58 per cent in Water and sanitation: 75 per cent of the population have access to safe water in home or yard up from 59 per cent in per cent per cent now have decent sanitation (a flush or chemical toilet) up from 50 per cent in Housing: More than three million new homes have been built and tens of thousands of people now have security of tenure. However, there is still a major need for more decent housing in areas where people want to live. 8. Health: Healthcare is free to children under six, pregnant women and people with disabilities. Free school meals are provided to nearly six million children. Immunisation programmes are widespread, reaching 90 per cent of the population; polio has been eliminated. 9. Social grants. More than 16 million South Africans now receive social grants. (Pensions, child support), up from two million in Macro-economic stability: South Africa has had the longest period of economic growth in its history ( ) 11. Governance and wellbeing. South Africa is ranked fifth on the Ibrahim Index of African Governance 2013 (out of 52, below Mauritius, Botswana, Cape Verde and the Seychelles.) (The index attempts to measure across safety and rule of law, participation and human rights, sustainable economic opportunity and human ) development) 12. South Africa in Africa: South Africa is now a key player in the African Union and SADC. It has led the call for leadership from Africa to deal with Africa s problems. The Pan-African Parliament is located in South Africa. Former President Thabo Mbeki led the setting up of NEPAD (New Partnership for African Development) and the African peer review process. South Africa actively supports peace processes across the continent. Under Nelson Mandela s leadership, it mediated in the conflict in Burundi. Former President Thabo Mbeki is the AU mediator on Darfur. The current chair of the African Union is the first woman and first South African to hold that role. 13. South Africa in the world: South Africa is a member of the G20 group and BRICS. It strongly supports changing the composition of the UN Security Council so that Africa has permanent seats in its membership. This list is impressive and a clear demonstration that the political changes have led to improvements in the quality of life of many South Africans. But apartheid and colonialism has left a huge legacy. The above figures and the challenges below show just how unequal and afflicted by dire poverty South Africa was pre-1994, how much was needed and how much still needs to be done. 3

4 South Africa: Challenges President Jacob Zuma in his state of nation address in February 2014 said that South Africa s three biggest challenges are Poverty, Unemployment and Inequality. 1. Poverty and unemployment: National unemployment is 25 per cent, according to official government figures; however the widely accepted figure is per cent. More than 70 per cent of those unemployed are between 15 and 24. Nearly 50 per cent of those unemployed have never worked. Most have few if any educational qualifications. A key challenge is how to ensure that macroeconomic stability and economic growth translates into jobs. There is also a big need for more training and skills acquisition and development. 2. Inequality: South Africa is still one of the most unequal societies in the world. There is a developing black middle class and a small, but growing, rich black elite as well as the long existing rich white elite. There are still two South Africas. There is still a divide by race (70 per cent of management posts are held by whites, approximately 10 per cent of the population) and gender. But there is also a growing divide by class. One South Africa has employment of skilled people, who are globally competitive, reasonably educated, informed; the other South Africa is of people with a low education and skill level, unemployed, or in the informal sector and marginalised. 3. HIV/AIDS: South Africa has the fourth highest rate of HIV in the world and largest number of people living with HIV, over 5 million. It is estimated that 16.0 per cent of people aged years old are HIV-positive. In 1994 it was estimated 4 per cent of this age group were HIV positive. When Thabo Mbeki was president, South Africa was viewed as in denial about the cause of AIDS and there was a lack of political leadership to implement an effective response to the pandemic. South Africa now has a proactive national strategy and the largest treatment programme in the world (free) ARVs (anti-retroviral drugs) to those who are HIV positive and would benefit and should receive these drugs). Not all who would benefit from treatment receive it but there has been a very significant increase in those that do.. HIV prevalence appears to have stabilised and may even be declining slightly. Among teenage girls, the rates has fallen from 16.1 per cent in 2004 to 12.9 per cent in Education: The challenge of achieving good quality education for all is a key one. The apartheid education system was geared to educating black people to a low level, its effects continue to have an impact today. South Africa has had to build a new education system geared to all and not the few, which prepares and skills its youth for the 21st century. This was not going to happen overnight and it hasn t. 5. Capacity: Service delivery remains a challenge, especially in the rural areas. Since 1994 South Africa has been trying to meet the needs of all its population, not just 12 to 15 per cent. This involves resources and policies, but also the capacity to deliver. This has required building a new system of government. It requires people with the education, knowledge, skills, information to ensure policies translate into effective action on the ground. These constraints have clearly hindered service delivery. 6A. Crime: South Africa suffers from high rates of crime. Most victims of crime live in poverty. Crime is not a recent phenomenon. The apartheid system was one of control and coercion and police resources were used to impose the system, not to tackle crime. 6B. Violence against women. Whilst South Africa has a high rate for women holding public office it also has one of the highest rates for violence against women and girls. Rape is widespread and the rates of conviction are low. 4

5 7. Corruption. Corruption continues to erode our social fabric and undermine our development efforts. (ANC Manifesto 2014)This is not an issue unique to South Africa and there is need to focus on the corrupter as well the corrupt. But there is an increasing perception of people and organisations benefitting from who they know and that public resources are not being used effectively and efficiently. This was true under apartheid but it does not excuse or condone if it is happening and perceived to be increasing now.8. Migration/immigration: Millions of people have moved from rural to urban areas and millions more have come to South Africa since the early 1990s. This poses challenges particularly for homes and jobs in urban areas. There is some resentment of immigrants, who are perceived to take jobs from South Africans, and there have been serious cases of xenophobic violence. Such incidents cannot be condoned, but there should also be recognition that most South Africans have not treated immigrants in this way and much of civil society has stood up to protect the rights of immigrants. 9. Land. Much of South Africa s most productive land remains owned by whites. There is a debate about the government s policy of pushing for black commercial famers rather than land redistribution. 10. Liberation movement/political party to government: To some, the dominance of the ANC raises issues of the separation of state institutions from party ones. The ANC has achieved more than 60 per cent of the vote at each national election. It won nearly 66 per cent of the vote in 2009 in a free and fair election against competition from the Democratic Alliance (DA) and newly formed Congress of the People (COPE) (2009 turnout was 77%; UK 2010 turnout 65%). President Jacob Zuma is the fourth president of South Africa since Summary ) The ending of apartheid is one of the great achievements of our time. It involved millions around the world campaigning in solidarity with the people of South and southern Africa. But it was never easy. People died, were jailed, beaten up, were forced into exile, countries neighbouring South Africa were invaded and destabilised. The apartheid state inflicted great damage to South Africa and on neighbouring countries. But the challenge of the post-apartheid era is just as great. The struggle was against apartheid. But it was also for democracy, freedom, rights, dignity, equality and sustainable, equitable development. Looking back it may seem that being against apartheid was so right and obvious that the struggle against it would get overwhelming support. Many people were active and over a 35- year period the Anti Apartheid Movement grew into the largest international campaign in the UK. But this was not a smooth linear progression from a small to large movement. The Anti- Apartheid Movement went through difficult times in the late 1960s and 1970s and became a broad-based mass movement in the mid-1980s. It was not always an easy struggle or campaign but being against apartheid gave it a clear focus and clarity of objective. The focus today is more diffuse but the need is just as great. Ending apartheid is a great achievement, as was securing the release of Nelson Mandela and others, but it is only half the battle. The terrible events around the Marikana mine in August 2012 in which 44 people were killed, 34 of whom were shot by the police shocked South Africa and the world. It raises questions about the conduct of the police, about violence being used or threatened in industrial disputes, the conduct of business and role of the state. It raises, alongside the other challenges that while there have been achievements that there has not yet been a socioeconomic transformation to accompany and build on the political and civil transformation. 5

6 There have been various schemes to showcase corporate social responsibility and there has been a black economic empowerment programme which seems to have benefited the few not the many. In 2005 Nelson Mandela said I can never thank the people of Britain enough for their support through those days of the struggle against apartheid. Through your will and passion, you assisted in consigning that evil system [apartheid] forever to history. But in this new century, millions of people remain imprisoned, enslaved, and in chains. They are trapped in the prison of poverty. It is time to set them free. Like slavery and apartheid, poverty is not natural. It is man-made and it can be overcome and eradicated by the actions of human beings. And overcoming poverty is not a gesture of charity. It is an act of justice. It is the protection of a fundamental human right, the right to dignity and a decent life. While poverty persists, there is no true freedom. The key challenge for South Africa in the next 20 years is to eradicate poverty, reduce inequality and enable all its citizens to have a decent life with their dignity respected and rights upheld. What can we do? Support JUSTICE for South African gold miners who have literally given their lives for Apartheid gold. Twenty years after the ) end of apartheid the miners whose lungs have been destroyed by silicosis still do not have access to adequate health care and decent compensation. The demand is those who profited from apartheid gold should pay for decent health care and compensation. Campaign for the affordability and availability of life saving drugs for HIV/AIDS sufferers. After years of denialism South Africa now has clear science based comprehensive strategy on HIV/AIDS. It is vital those who need treatment receive it. Campaign to stop pharmaceutical companies organising to keep drug prices high. Fair trade can help reduce poverty. Buy fairly traded goods from southern Africa. Ask others to do the same. Visit southern Africa, support responsible tourism which benefits local people and communities. Southern Africa needs sustainable and equitable development. Build and sustain solidarity, real partnership. There was a call for action from southern Africa. People in the UK heard and took up that call. People and organisations in the UK expressed their support and solidarity for the people of South and southern Africa based on shared values and principles and because they thought it the right thing to do. They did not do this for personal or financial gain, nor for status or public recognition. Whilst the context now is different people and organisations in southern Africa wish to build on that partnership and solidarity. Through contact, exchange, sharing and learning together, building solidarity in which we all contribute and benefit we strive to bring about a better, fairer, more just world. 6