BARNEY MTHOMBOTHI: We may soon drown in the rising tide of anarchy
'Where a firm and unambiguous condemnation of lawlessness was called for, what we got was a mealy-mouthed nothingburger'
EXTRACT:
The ANC returned from exile riding a wave of support, but it has just about messed things up. Government dysfunction is what is holding the country back; it has triggered nationwide discontent. The government is not working for the people who elected it.
The ANC started out with some promise. Those snaking queues of South Africans on April 27 1994 had the hope that, at last, the marginalised would have people in the government who not only looked like them but represented them, spoke for them and indeed would serve them. The ANC did mess up from time to time, but there was a genuine attempt to serve.
That's all history now. The ANC is seen to represent corruption and incompetence. And it's not only its enemies who say so. No better an authority than President Cyril Ramaphosa himself was unsparing in his criticism of his party's missteps during the ANC presidential contest.
Anarchy is defined in the Collins English Dictionary as: "General lawlessness and disorder, especially when thought to result from an absence or failure of government ... the absence of any guiding or uniting principle; disorder; chaos." That could be our destination if we're not careful. The attainment of democracy 24 years ago this week raised expectations that people's lives would improve. Democracy did not merely mean having the vote, but that the economy, free from sanctions and the shackles of apartheid, would churn out well-paying jobs. Schools, desegregated and with well-qualified teachers, would produce top-notch skills for an economy that would grow. Hospitals would be run by caring staff and there would be adequate medicine. And the soaring crime rate, the country's Achilles heel, would be a thing of the past.Hopes were high, and they've now been deflated. Many of these things haven't happened. In many cases, the situation has become worse. To the majority, freedom remain...
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