An appeal for the renegotiation of the political settlement of 1994 may seem absurd and outrageous. Generally, the political settlement is still considered as perhaps the most significant and momentous achievement in South Africa's history. The political election of April 1994 concluded the end of the era of apartheid and introduced the final phase of liberation and freedom under an ANC government. Any attempt to discredit this, may seem to border on the sacrosanct! It is just not done!
Yet, after almost twenty years of liberation and freedom, something has gone wrong. It has become a popular topic in general conversation. The finger pointing has already started, but as yet, no one is willing to accept any responsibility - or has any idea of how to deal with it.
The Tripartite Alliance (ANC, SACP and Cosatu) are ill at ease with their achievements and call for greater "activism" and "government intervention" in the private sector and civil society in years to come. Society at large is aghast with a spectacle of a collapsing government and the social environment that has become largely "governmentally empty."
Good governance on national, provincial and local level - as embodied in the constitution - has become the exception. Many government services mainly exist on paper, although the constitution embodies it and parliament provides the necessary legislation and budget allocation for the façade to continue.
The growing tension between the ANC and some of its traditional black supporters largely stems from the fact that too much was promised - in the spirit of liberation - and too few governing capabilities have been cultivated. The ANC government has maintained its dominant political profile (in terms of power and control), but its governing capabilities have largely slipped away. The result is an increasing ideological divide of broken promises.
This is part of a slow evolving process of "black divisions" in the black society - a process where local black communities position themselves in opposition to the local ANC controlled councils. The critical issues in this new confrontation is lack of water, open sewage, lack of housing, roads and schools - not part of the ANC's strong profile.