GOVERNANCE
Citizens tired of ‘good stories gone wrong’ — new narrative is wanted
The nation needs a vision of sustainable development that sees challenges and solutions in an entirely new light, writes Lorenzo Fioramonti
There is no doubt that our country is experiencing its worst political crisis since the end of apartheid. This is not only reflected in the corruption and conflicts of interest affecting the ruling party, but also in the virtual absence of any credible political vision that is truly alternative to the status quo. The current leadership of the ANC has been extremely successful at building patronage and the widespread capture of state institutions. And it has done so to a degree that is unprecedented in democratic SA, largely explaining President Jacob Zuma’s resilience in power. In my view, however, their most striking success has been psychological: they have gone so far at breeding "bad" governance that most of us simply hope to go back to where the country was in 2009. The succession battle is a case in point. It is clear that neither candidate, let alone possible "third" options presented as a compromise to unite the party, will bring meaningful change. Indeed, nobody is challeng...
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