THABANG MOTSOHI: Building a capable and efficient state is vital to halt growing inequality
The administration has focused on creating a very successful patrimonial state staffed with incompetent, compliant cadres
The theme of WEFAfrica 2017 — Achieving inclusive growth through responsive and responsible leadership — would have been an appropriate founding moral code and political philosophy for the incoming democratic government in 1994, as it captures the essence of what needs to be done to reverse the racist practices of the colonialists and the apartheid regime. However, 23 years into the transition period, serious questions are being raised about the pace of change and the extent of its inclusiveness — as well as a breakdown in governance. Too many people legitimately feel left out of the democratic dividend and are now furiously calling for faster socioeconomic transformation. The legitimate and loud calls for "radical economic transformation" reflect the shortcomings of our development strategy and trajectory that has left millions of poor and undereducated people out of employment and other opportunities for self-improvement. Many people, including some in the new middle class, have e...
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