LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT: LOCAL PROTESTS SHOULD ENCOURAGE US TO WORK HARDER

Over the last two weeks, the country has seen protests action in a number of different areas. These have generally been referred to as ‘service delivery' protests, although the exact reasons for the protests differ from place to place.

Although we have witnessed such protests in the past, a number of commentators have sought to present South Africa as a country seized with unrest. This is particularly true of reporting in some of the international media outlets. This clearly isn't the case.

We should not claim these events to be more than they are. At the same time, it would be unwise to dismiss them, because they do raise important issues and they do pose particular challenges for the country.

From the outset, we must make the point that in a democratic society, all people have the right to assemble, to demonstrate, and to protest. These rights are enshrined in our Constitution, and we are committed to defend them. However, in a Constitutional democracy there are no grievances, no matter how genuine, that justify violence or destruction of property.

If people want to exercise their democratic rights, they must be prepared to respect the democratic rights of others. There should be no excuses and no exceptions. Where the law is broken, perpetrators must be brought to book.

We therefore call on all South Africans, no matter what concerns they may have, to respect the law and to respect the rights of others. We also call on the security agencies to do everything they can to maintain public order and uphold the law.

As the African National Congress, however, we cannot hope to adequately respond to these events by simply calling for the law to be upheld. We need to look at the circumstances that gave rise to these protests, and work to address them.

We have to start by acknowledging that these protests are not all the same. The issues which give rise to them are often unique to a specific area. Some may reflect genuine community concerns, while others may be driven by turf battles among business people, local political contests, or manipulation by criminal elements. Some may be a combination of all or some of these.

We should therefore be cautious about making generalisations about these events, and we should be wary about making sweeping claims about the state of the country on the basis of these events.

But there are some common things that we need to recognise. There are some weaknesses in our society, in the structures of government, and within the democratic movement that such protests reveal.

There is something wrong in our society if there are people - even if it is a small minority - who think that it is acceptable in a democracy to stone cars, loot shops and burn people's houses. It suggests that we have not done enough to ensure that all South Africans accept and internalise the values and principles that underpin our Constitution. It also means that we have not done enough to repair the social dislocation and destruction of family life caused by the apartheid system.

These protests also highlight weaknesses in government institutions. There is no doubt that residents in some of these areas have genuine grievances. There may indeed be corruption and incompetence in the structures that are supposed to manage their areas. We know that there are areas that have not been developed to the extent that they should have. There are areas where people are justifiably upset about the pace of delivery.

We have recognised that though progress has been made in many areas, there are still many areas where government is falling short. Local government is an obvious area. There are severe problems of lack of capacity, resources and skills. But the other spheres of government - provincial and national - should not be let off the hook. They too must accept responsibility for the shortcomings.

It is for this reason that the new administration has placed particular emphasis on the need to strengthen public institutions, to reinforce a culture of service, and to improve the efficiency and responsiveness of all state officials.

Another problem is the social distance and lack of effective communication between public representatives and communities. In at least one instance, violence broke out as a result of the circulation of rumours that proved to be untrue. It is also clear that residents in many areas are frustrated by the lack of information coming forth from their elected representatives, and have a strong sense that their representatives are not listening to them. This suggests, among other things, that many ward committees are not functioning properly.

It is therefore critical that public representatives of all parties are visible and pay urgent attention to improving their engagement with their constituencies. This is true of local government councillors in particular. It also means that MPs and MPLs need to pay more attention to their constituency work.

Among other things, we need to ensure that the audit of ANC councillors be undertaken as a priority. This should be seen not as a way to punish councillors, but to identify problems and take corrective action to ensure that councillors work more effectively to improve the lives of our people.
These protests also highlight weaknesses within the ANC structures and the broader democratic movement. The ANC is a people's organisation, and is supposed to be with and among the people. All branches of the organisation are expected to be engaged in the daily life of their communities, mobilising and organising people to address the challenges they face.

If people are experiencing problems with service delivery or are not being taken seriously by councillors, it is the ANC branch that should be taking up these issues. The protests that have taken place suggest that many ANC branches are failing in this respect. This is an organisational weakness that needs to be addressed.

There are some people who will seize on these unfortunate events to portray the country in a negative light.

In the face of efforts by some people to seize on these protests to portray South Africa as a country in trouble, those who know better may be tempted to dismiss these protests as insignificant. We should not do so.

Though we cannot agree with the picture that others may be trying to portray, we should nevertheless see these events as a challenge to work harder and more effectively to respond to the needs of our people. We must be prepared to see the weaknesses that they reveal, and do everything we can to address them.

Working together we can do more!

This article by President Jacob Zuma first appeared in ANC Today, the weekly online newsletter of the African National Congress, July 31 2009

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