BRUCE WHITFIELD: Slogans are catchy, but you can't eat them
We need to vuka - it's not an acronym, it's an exclamation in several southern African languages that means 'wake up!'
After decades of being subjected to slogans, South Africans are susceptible to having a complex idea neatly boxed into a catchy acronym. We are suckers for a smart line that oversimplifies a complex issue or provides a sense of security, albeit a false one. South Africa since 1994 has sought to neatly encapsulate economic policy in a way that is neither threatening nor exclusionary. Programmes like Gear (growth, employment and redistribution) were clear and simple policy statements that were unambiguous in their intent and execution. The acronym meant something tangible. The goal was growth and job creation. Two hard-to-achieve goals, but Gear supposed that growth would provide the state with the mechanism for redistribution of wealth held by the few to the many in a way that would not prejudice the sustainability of the economy. The government's current position is unclear. Like so many post-1994 plans, Gear is gathering dust. The government's most recent serious attempt came with ...
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