What happened to the dream?
27/28th April 1994 were miracle days for South Africa when it witnessed the first truly democratic elections in the country. Sure, there was some pre-election violence particularly between the IFP and the ANC jockeying for power, but compared to other countries in history who had gone through such a radical and virtually overnight upheaval of their existing order, this was remarkably benign.
One positive takeaway that became legend from those days was the voting line – the snaking queues of people patiently waiting under the African sun to make their mark for the promise of a better future. That voting line became a symbol of our transition. Port Elizabeth has celebrated it with the Voting Line sculpture on the Donkin Reserve overlooking the town. It comprises 67 life size people from all walks of life cut from stainless steel plate and strung out in a meandering queue ending up with Madiba at the base of Port Elizabeth’s gargantuan flagpole pole. Heady stuff.
For a while we dared to dream even through Mbeki’s pipedreams and misguided pontifications, and Zuma’s selfish corruption. But, 31 years on, we have reached the point of no return. At best, we are a perpetual mediocrity, a continually failing state that is one misstep away from the vortex of a Zimbabwean descent into economic hell.
What has brought on SMAC’s dystopian view of the future? It was the report last week that applications for the 5,500 Police positions had closed after – wait for it – 1,000,000 had been received! Really! Is being a policeman such a nice job that everyone just wants to be one? Obviously not! The uplifting concept of the voting line has been replaced by the unemployment line, the SASSA queues and the job application line (and crime of course).
The bald truth is that the ANC has failed the country – dismally. While it has been laser focussed on ideology and transformation, and while underwriting corruption, it has forgotten or does not know how to grow the economy at a rate faster than the population and illegal immigrant growth rate. Pro rata, the economic pie has got smaller exacerbated by the increasingly skewed wealth distribution among Blacks leading to desperation as witnessed by the police job applications.
It might be argued that from such a wide selection, those lucky 5,500 successful candidates will represent the best choice after race, gender and disability ratios have been met but do they really want to be cops? No! They have no deep-down internal desire to be the good guy and to catch the bad guy. All they want is a government job – a sinecure for life. They will never have pride in their work and strive to make a difference. Of those 5,500 successful desperados, some will do well but many will relax once appointed and consign the police service to mediocrity for the rest of their lives and that is the ultimate crime – the price of 31 years of ANC failure stretching on to a future of continual failure.