Services delivery is South African political fatigue

Services delivery is South African political fatigue

Article presented by Lubungo Tafadhali Ngwy

Next year 2014, South Africans will celebrate the twentieth year of their freedom which will be observed with mix reactions as there is a section of South Africans who believes it has came along way ending dark days of apartheid and it should continue owing the current ruling party as liberation movement, this is what we are about to witness in next year elections as the opportunity will be to support the party to win once again elections which will make it fifth consecutive win since 1994. The question which remains to be asked is who are those electorates who are willing to secure a win for African National Congress (ANC)? Surely they may be counted among millions of South Africans who were disadvantaged with immorality laws making it criminal for a person to be married to the person who is not of his/her race, using facilities which were not to be used by the person of inferior race, being in areas which are not designed for people of your race, etc. On the other hand we  have a section of South Africans who will not be of such a view as the result of political fatigue they endure: the slow pace the country takes for its transformation and empowerment process, dissatisfied people who believe the government is not doing a good job and those who are in the positions of power are well connected whether by comrades they have met in Robben Island or in exile, or dedicated members of the ANC who are  deployed as reward to their loyalty and party credentials.

The fact is the South African ruling party is fortunate to have a huge number of electorates who are consumed by their sense of naivety over the role of their party and its leaders in the new dispensation, as the third term in office suppose to be the last time electorates express their appreciation to the liberation movement and try to move on and assess its works so that merit could prevail over fanatic affiliations; as the country deserves better leaders able to deliver services to achieve good life for all.

National auditor office publishes on year basis shocking reports about failure and inability of government departments to deliver public services not because there are not funds allocated, but available funds to departments are not spent due to lack of skills managers and every year national treasury rollover 40 percent of the entire budget without counting unaccountable funds due to mismanagement or purely corrupted officials.    

This state of affairs has angered former South African president Thabo Mbeki who recently lashed out on government to consider public needs in terms of services delivery as protests continue nationwide over lack of services delivery while we are heading next years general elections. Mbeki is known as a leader who has lifted up South African economy to the level it has never been since hundred years ago and who has left office as an angry man when he was defeated by his former deputy president Jacob Zuma who he sacked over corruption, but who was still his party deputy president; unfortunately Jacob Zuma defeated Mbeki as party leader during his bid to secure the third term as ANC president, making it difficult for him to serve as president of the country without being president of the ruling party (ANC).

Only now in June 2013, when the former president Nelson Mandela was hospitalised for lung infection in Pretoria Medi Clinic Mbeki breaks his silence after he distanced himself from national politics for years while occupying different roles on the continent such as conflict negotiator between Sudan and South Sudan as negotiator under African Union. His remarks was about failure of the government to address service delivery problems, only later to hear that he was actually irritated to hear that Nelson Mandela was stranded in ambulance for more than forty minutes on his was to hospital as the ambulation broke down followed by delay it took for the next ambulance to reach out the sick former statesman.