Radical economic transformation has become a household name within the circles of political oligarchy.
Radical economic transformation has become a household name within the circles of political oligarchy.
But the concept has lost is actual meaning because it’s used for reasons not related to the upliftment of the economically marginalised.
Rather, it is an attempt to advance individuals’ financial interests, to the disadvantage of the masses.
The rationale behind this euphoria is to raise the expectations of the black electorate in the hope of keeping them under their wing.
The noise about this concept is an attempt to drown the voice of reason, and that of political opposition.
Political hype is not sustainable: it leads to intolerance and intellectual decline. This noise is used to distract the people from questioning malfeasance.
For example, the recent social grants fiasco was manufactured to set up the Constitutional Court Judges against social grant recipients and the populace in general.
Tacitly, Concourt was coerced into a situation where it had no other option but to find a balancing act between legal imperatives and the needs of the vulnerable. Failing to arrive at a pragmatic decision could have led to an explosive situation.
The law is abstract and the layperson might not have a full grasp of its intricacies.
Relevant agencies should take it upon themselves to make the public aware of their constitutional rights (legal, political and economic) in a simplified manner.
The struggle for economic emancipation in particular cannot be de-linked from the rights enshrined in the constitution. Social grants recipients should also understand that in one way or another they contribute to the social net reservoir.
The President should stop bragging about social grants provision. Instead, he should table a quantifiable and sustainable blueprint aimed at reversing colonial and apartheid frontiers.
There is an untested view that says, if poverty levels can be reduced, it could have a negative effect on the electoral base of the ANC.
The architects behind the social grants fiasco were consciously aware of the likely outcome should Concourt decide otherwise.
Only sleeping political partners or proxies might be able to shed light on why the country was held to ransom.
“Radical economic transformation” of a special type may have other dimensional connotations. Concourt should expect more surprises of this nature.
A new propaganda has been hatched that the Constitution is a hindrance to transformation, in particular in relation to land reform.
Interestingly, no one has come up with valid evidence as to how the Constitution has inhibited transformation.
Valid reasons should precede a structured and inclusive national discourse that would validate the need to temper with aspects of the Constitution. It’s my contention that the Constitution has not been used effectively to effect transformation.
To cite one example, the Constitution is not implicit on the question of expropriation. The latter should be executed in terms of the rules set down.
Populism is not an answer to South Africa's complex questions. Rather, it is good at ushering in a state of anarchy and misery.
Populism benefits kleptocrats, securocrats and henchmen in the plundering of resources. Impunity becomes the order of the day.
Populism ultimately opens the space for the survival of the fittest within framework of the law of the jungle.
The stupendous problems confronting the country at the moment are by and large caused by the lack of leadership in dealing with sophisticated domestic and global issues.
Transformation is a complex matter that requires leadership with sophisticated intellectual acumen. It’s not about cut and paste; it’s about dealing with core intangible and tangible issues.
A reckless approach to societal transformation may rock the boat and reverse gains.
Presently, the Eastern Cape is the province hardest hit by the lack of sophisticated leadership. This has opened space for factionalists hell bent on alienating broader society.
Recent political developments in the Nelson Mandela Metro area indicate that the ANC has not learnt a political lesson.
The space is now contested on issues and no longer through rhetoric. OR Tambo, NR Mandela, G Mbeki, W Sisulu etc played their role and set an exemplary framework that is contradicted by the present leadership trajectory.
Over-utilisation of those leaders' brands is not going to bring about solutions to obscene inequalities.
South Africa more than ever is yearning for visionary, thoughtful, transformational, and ethical leadership.
Leadership with such prowess may take the country back to its original agenda. People with such strategic capabilities are in abundance within the political mainstream, and are still relatively young.
Imagine if Concourt handed down a judgement terminating the already unlawful contract.
A decision of that nature might have caused anxiety in our society that could have been used opportunistically by adversaries of Constitutionalism.
The Constitutional Court could have been perceived as working against economically vulnerable groups. Judges could have been accused of working in cahoots with “white monopoly capital” furthering colonial objectives.
Remember, they were once rubbished by Mantashe as counter-revolutionaries.
The dereliction of duty on the part of bureaucrats and politicians forced the Constitutional Court Judges to find themselves between a rock and a hard place.
The politically engineered social grant saga tested the leadership abilities of the judges and, as usual, they did not disappoint the nation.
This arm of state outshines other arms of the state in preserving the democratic project.
The names of the judges concerned are inscribed in the chronicles of history through the sterling work they do for the country.
Another advantage of judges could be that they are appointed to positions on merit and through meritorious achievements.
The latter in the current political mainstream finds no expression. Instead, it has promoted mediocrity over intelligence and brilliancy.
Taking into account this state of affairs, is the “radical economic transformation” possible?
Mediocrity has impacted negatively on governance and the management of our country. South Africa is a diverse and complex space that requires the finest minds on the pedestal.
And not individuals parachuted to leadership positions because they can sing and dance endlessly, thereafter making racially charged utterances to cover up incompetencies.
One can safely say, our Constitutional Court is in safe hands at the moment, and the preservation of this legacy is critical. This is the calibre of leadership South Africa is yearning for.
For noting, it has never been the mandate of the ANC to change the existing socio-economic power relations.
The ANC’s mandate is confined to the de-racialisation of the economy and society in general within the present socio-economic system.
The “radical economic transformation” as espoused by the ANC should be understood within this context.
