Nkosikhulule Nyembezi
Cape Town - Load shedding that has been the worst since it all began as far back as December 2007.
The yet-to-be-implemented state capture report and the unsettling restlessness caused by suspense as to which implicated politicians will be removed from public office and successfully prosecuted for corruption.
Political and financial turmoil at all levels of government, including an increasing number of dysfunctional municipalities. A stagnant economy.
An inflationary bug that has led to soaring prices of basic foodstuffs, energy, transport and other basic services. Higher interest rates.
That was the story of 2022. Truly, the year just gone was, in the words of one of the witches in Shakespeare’s Macbeth, best described as “something wicked this way comes”.
So 2023 will have to go some way to match its predecessor for drama. For example, the analysis dominating the news gives relatively long odds on it being another year of fresh impeachment proceedings and a self-embargoed Cabinet reshuffle.
Being less dramatic does not mean life is going to get any easier. The economy will probably do a little better than some gloomier forecasters expect – but that is not saying much.
The likelihood is that 2023 will be much like 2022, at least for the first half.
It was more than eight years ago and amid the wreckage of the financial crisis and political infighting that major political parties lost several key election races in several communities.
This turn of events unfolded at a time when their annual political programmes focused almost exclusively on managing party squabbles and enriching the elite individuals connected to power, and did not have a compelling socio-economic message.
We can only hope that the episode served as a cautionary tale to warn major political parties, especially opposition parties, intent on unseating the governing ANC.
They risk further losing winnable elections if they are not willing to break with their personality egos and big donors. They must now offer a progressive socio-economic message that appeals to broader audiences who want to put more effort into realising co-ordinated economic recovery programmes.
Without that kind of message and corresponding action, they risk losing relevance even if they are right about the current government’s inefficiencies and corruption. Uniquely, that 2014 cautionary tale now seems like a preview of the 2023 annual programme for major political parties as they also formulate their election strategy for the 2024 national and provincial elections that will include independent candidates for the first time.
Among voters’ top issues this year are the economy and inflation, safety and security, good governance and human development – so politicians cannot afford to slow down on service delivery in the hope of spending much of the resources closer to the 2024 elections to entice voters.
This new year provides time for a turnaround – and there is plenty for the Ramaphosa administration to do at all levels, now emboldened by his re-election as ANC leader.
The same applies to the DA-led government of the Western Cape and several municipalities, as the party will hold its elective congress in April.
Politicians must go beyond blaming one another and international markets for slow economic growth.
They should pledge more direct socio-economic help to lift our nation out of poverty and economic hardship by committing to a national programme that rallies all sectors of society.
They must hammer the elites in the government for protecting their donors from several labour exploitative practices and financial transparency regulatory frameworks.
In short, our elected representatives must co-operate in implementing the state capture report and the social contract to vilify the entire plague of greed, whereby corporate oligopolies are using their market power to loot state resources.
Doing that successfully in 2023 requires political leaders to do the one thing they always seem most reluctant to do: offend their big donors.
But if they do not do that – if they treat 2023 as an election year in which the delivery of socio-economic programmes and the promotion of nation-building can take a back seat – then the 2024 election could see an acceleration of the electoral decline trend of the past eight years.
They could lose everything they purport to stand for: radical economic transformation, making South Africa an attractive investment destination, democracy, everything.
For South Africa to win the lost ground, 2023 should be about four things: reprioritising public spending, co-ordinated anti-corruption campaigns, clear public messaging and mobilisation of all stakeholders to participate actively.
And when it comes to the message, it must be more layered and communicated by all sector stakeholders to promote inclusivity.
Politicians must speak about the economy from a worker’s perspective, from both the formal and informal sector perspectives.
They must humanise the issue and focus on the struggles of ordinary people, like high unemployment, poverty and rising costs. They must ditch the jargon and own up to the blame for the mess we are in through poor leadership.
We also need to hear more about racial inequality, racial polarisation, white supremacy and the continuing attack on foreign nationals. These are important issues politicians can no longer sidestep.
Finally, in 2023 all South Africans must stay vigilant in holding elected representatives accountable.
It is an essential civic duty that the majority must collectively perform to create zero tolerance for corruption, unethical conduct and unaccountable government.
Nyembezi is a researcher, policy analyst and human rights activist
Cape Times
** The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of Independent Media or IOL.