South Africa appears to be in denial about a beckoning future without the ANC at the helm — and not much work is being done to prepare the nation for the post-2024 elections period.
“In this country, there is reluctance to confront a future that beckons — that the ANC will lose power in 2024,” said Lukhona Mnguni, a political analyst who addressed the Drakensberg Inclusive Growth Forum, hosted by the Kgalema Motlanthe Foundation, on Sunday.
Mnguni, who was reporting back to a plenary session on the work done by a commission on “future proofing” the country, said he knew there were people who believed the ANC would only lose power in 2029, but they were struggling to accept reality.
“In 2024, the ANC will lose power. How do you prepare the country for that reality because it suddenly becomes a new reality for everyone, for business. Suddenly, the ANC national executive committee (will) no longer (be as) important as it used to be because the ANC is not in power.”
The youth were at risk of an uncertain future, he said, “because our parents are doing exactly what their parents in the 1970s did. They’re scared to speak out. And they’re scared to stand up for the truth. And that’s why there was an intergenerational fight in the 1970s where the students said we are going to do it for ourselves.”
He quoted black consciousness activist Onkgopotse Tiro, who had said that the parents of that generation had become part of the systemic oppression endured by young people. “The duty of the educated young person is to go back to the parents and help them, enlighten them about the beckoning future.”
He referred to the decision by the ANC in Gauteng to drop former MEC for economic development Parks Tau from the provincial cabinet as part of the evidence that the ANC was not prepared to shed its corruption image.
“Sometimes this ANC spits out some of its good people. There’s Parks Tau. I think he is a fair comrade, I think he is a good guy. But the ANC does not have space for him. He’s not corrupt. In fact, I met somebody who said to me Parks’ problem is that when comrades say ‘Comrade Parks how do you help me?’ Parks says the process is 'Oh! — too committed to process,'” said Mnguni, adding that the baton has to move.
“We are ready to move. We are ready to lead this country. The time has come. We will either do it collegially and there’s a proper process or we will demand for power to concede.”
Mnguni’s observations almost mirrored those of Gugu Motlanthe, executive trustee of the Kay Mason Foundation, who said earlier the youth was ready to lead. “We need big change, not just dynamics of shifting power in coalitions and insider games. In fact the game has to change because it’s broken. What is the succession plan? Young people need to be given a chance,” said Motlanthe.
Dr Sithembile Mbete earlier said attempts to woo investment to SA should start internally — you can’t attract investment when your domestic capital holders are not showing confidence in your economy, she said.
Former president Kgalema Motlanthe said in his opening remarks on Friday that while South Africa’s economy will “fall or stand by the success or failure to stabilise energy supply”, the country is awash with natural gas which should be used to offset debilitating power outages.
Motlanthe decried the spectre of load-shedding, its impact on inclusive economic growth and the country’s need for servant leadership.
“Without a doubt, an unstable and deficient energy supply is the single most significant test for South Africa and growth constraint at the moment,” he said, noting the country should be taking advantage of its gas endowments.
He said most parts of Mpumalanga, northern KwaZulu-Natal, the Waterberg district of Limpopo and Virginia in the Free State were teeming with gas. “And, with natural gas, we can practically create a balance in the base load, which is the nub of the problem at Eskom. So we have natural gas inland — not even offshore. With it we can create jobs: a completely new manufacturing sector and a new economy based on gas,” he said.
KwaZulu-Natal premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube said the forum debates in the Drakensberg have become the 'Davos' of South Africa.
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