MAT CUTHBERT: Zambia’s politics of the long haul should inspire bold moves in SA

The election of Hakainde Hichilema as president of Zambia shows that the “politics of the long haul” does bear fruit — a validation of the prescient words of the late SA liberal MP Colin Eglin..

Hichilema has finally achieved what he failed to on five previous occasions, in 2006, 2008, 2011, 2015 and 2016. At the time of writing several media outlets have stated that Hichilema garnered roughly 2.8-million votes, compared with his main rival and incumbent president Edgar Lungu’s roughly 1.8-million votes. 

Notably, this was achieved in a political environment characterised by the suppression of opposition parties and the press, as well as the abuse of state resources in favour of the governing Patriotic Front (PF).

While Lungu initially cast doubt on the fairness of the election — despite it being tilted in his favour — he has now conceded and committed himself to a peaceful transition.

Zambians have chosen to dispense with the politics of socialism and instead opted for the politics of liberalism. They have unshackled themselves from authoritarian rule, central planning and economic ruin. They have used their electoral might to choose a government that values democracy, civil liberties, free markets and individual rights over all else.

The significance of his election cannot be understated, as liberal politicians and parties have been the proverbial whipping boys in the Sub-Saharan neighbourhood. Only the Ivory Coast (Rally of the Republicans), Senegal (Alliance for the Republic) and the Seychelles (Linyon Demokratik Seselwa) have liberal governments. If one were to include the internationally disputed Somaliland (Kulmiye Peace, Unity and Development Party) that would take us to a total of four.

I have purposely omitted the Botswana Democratic Party from this list as I would class it as more of a conservative party than the liberal variety. The rest of Africa’s governments are largely either dictatorships, socialist liberation movements or nationalistic governing parties.

Zambia and SA share deep political ties, which makes this case even more interesting. We just need to cast our minds back to the role played by Kenneth Kaunda and his United National Independence Party in providing a base and resources for the ANC and others in their struggle against apartheid.

However, the two countries took a decidedly different political trajectory. Zambia achieved independence in 1964 and later descended into a “legal” one-party state. It was only in 1991, when multiparty democracy was restored, that Kaunda was ousted from office by Frederick Chiluba of the Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD). The MMD governed Zambia for about 20 years until the PF took power in 2011.

In contrast, SA had to endure white-minority rule under the National Party from 1948 to 1994 and extremely limited franchise before that, having been a de facto independent state since 1910. A democratic multiparty system was only introduced in 1994, and as we are all aware we have been and continue to be governed by the ANC.

Despite there being a marked difference in majority and minority ethnic-based rule in the two countries, both were subjected to autocratic governance for more than 30 years. While Zambia has had multiparty elections for only three years longer than SA, one could argue it is the far more mature democracy. Whereas it has had three democratic turnovers of government, we have had none.

Are Zambians less averse to change than South Africans, or have we allowed ourselves to become desensitised to the cruel realities of everyday life under the ANC? Despite the myriad attempts by the ANC to centralise power, sully the constitution and “Zanufy” the economy we still have broadly independent national institutions and we don’t see instances of opposition politicians being jailed and their homes raided (all of which happened to Hichilema).

Is a 43.2% unemployment rate not high enough? Are intraparty factional battles that spill over onto the streets and cost our economy R50bn not severe enough? Or is the flagrant abuse of public funds to benefit the political elite a victimless crime? How much worse does it have to get before we change our collective mind?

All South Africans should reject the above with the utmost contempt. It is not normal and should never be allowed to be normalised. It is therefore prudent to turn our attention to what SA can learn from Zambia. Despite the coronavirus pandemic its elections went ahead, whereas our Electoral Commission of SA (IEC) wants SA elections postponed even though the constitution does not allow for this.

In Zambia, instead of disengaging from the democratic process large numbers of youths turned up to vote out a government that offered them little to no economic future. Young Zambians came to the realisation that the only way to effect change was to use the ballot box — something that hasn’t quite landed here.

Of great interest is Hichelima’s policy platform and how it contrasts with the radical economic transformation rhetoric we are subjected to in SA. This can be illustrated by a few core commitments listed in the United Party for National Development’s manifesto, such as the need for investment in quality education and “not handouts that only appear at election time”. There is also a strong emphasis on macroeconomic stability, deregulating the market and diversifying the economy at large.

Furthermore, it speaks to the importance of maintaining the constitutional order, strengthening good governance mechanisms and enhancing “transparency, accountability, consultation and dialogue between the governors and the governed”.

Most instructive of all is the party’s commitment to eradicating “tribal divisions by unifying all Zambians and embracing our diversity”. This is refreshing to hear as a South African considering that nonracialism has become somewhat of a swear word in our political context.

These are all ideas we as South Africans must support if we truly want to live in a free and prosperous society. Our fight to bring about the kind of change our northerly neighbour has achieved over the past week is taking a bit longer than we all expected, but that should not deter us.

Let’s draw on Zambians' courage and resilience in our own fight for change, so we too can enjoy the fruit of “the politics of the long haul” in the near future.

• Cuthbert is DA shadow deputy trade, industry & competition minister.