The concept of a failed state is a contested one. Insofar as a country is wracked by war, conflict and extremely oppressive rule that results in economic malaise and the total collapse of public services, a state could be regarded as failed and this status indeed has deleterious consequences for the population-at-large (if not for the rulers and their connected cronies who invariably benefit from this failure). Afghanistan under Taliban rule and many African countries are applicable examples.
On many fronts, South Africa is already a failed state and considered as a whole, at least a fragile one. The government itself concedes that 66 municipalities are dysfunctional (the real number is probably much higher, but these are their own yardsticks and admissions), the public health and education sectors are largely in a doleful state (with the caveat that there are many exceptions), the rail network is in a state of disrepair with no workable plan to turn it around, the police is practically non-existent and rudderless, and most state-owned enterprises (SOEs) have become empty shells that enervate the fiscus (in the case of Eskom, this has many wide-ranging economic and social implications).
The debate about whether South Africa is indeed a failed state is raging again. Public figures such as Neal Froneman, CEO of mining behemoth Sibanye-Stillwater, are increasingly vocal about South Africa joining the ranks of other failed countries. “My view is now that we are practically a failed state,” he said according to the Daily Maverick. “Government leadership has created this problem and they are doing nothing. The government can’t deal with it because it goes against their ideology. There is neither the capacity nor the competence to deal with it.”
There are notable but few exceptions, though. Not everything and everyone in government are failing. The Western Cape provincial government and much of the local government in this province excel at innovative governance and service-delivery. For instance, a solar farm designed to circumvent Stages 1 and 2 load-shedding is taking shape in the George Local Municipality. This would explain why the growth of the Western Cape economy and property market far outstrips that of other provinces.
Moreover, the Midvaal and uMngeni local municipalities in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal respectively are expertly managed. And although many municipalities and their provinces struggle with their finances and service-delivery (self-inflicted or due to recent mismanagement and malfeasance that wrought tremendous damage), the resultant quality of life within cities and towns differ markedly – not unlike the variance in many cities and towns in the US and other developed countries where policing budgets in particular are spread thin and insufficient to deal with rising crime fuelled by overly permissive policies. Besides, the South African government can still issue deeds and disburse grants – at least for now.
To this end, and unlike many other fragile and completely failed countries, South Africans still have choices and a wide array of (small and big) roleplayers – apart from the state – to combat the decay and improve the quality of life. One such example is Tidy Towns, an organisation committed to improving a section of the lower KwaZulu-Natal South Coast. They work in partnership with the local municipality and business sector to paint sidewalks, spruce up common spaces, and fill potholes. And their results are conspicuous and impressive.
In other parts of the country the farming community, taxpayer associations and community policing forums are all performing various tasks that government is supposed to do. These tasks include tarring roads, keeping people safe, building schools and generating electricity. Whether some of this is – at least initially – done for their own benefit is irrelevant.
If everybody firstly starts helping themselves, it lessens the burden on everybody else. But these projects often benefit the wider community in a particular setting. In many locations, community members simply gather on a Saturday to clean a park or street. These efforts need not be complicated or advanced to be effective.
Then, the business sector and capitalism often get a bad rap but the value of their contributions to this country is irrefutable. Whether by launching innovative products or sheer largesse through social responsibility initiatives, they contribute to making this country a better (and often cheaper) place to live in.
After all, they need to stay viable and that means keeping the country viable. The private security industry is the middle and upper classes’ first line of defence against crime; the large banks help with issuing ID documents and passports; and the corporate sector even repair potholes. The private education sector is exhibiting robust growth as a response to state failure in this key sector. Many businesses are doing extremely well in the alternative energy space.
There are many more examples of roleplayers outside government that plug the holes left by the state. It doesn’t matter if it is self-interested or altruistic, it adds up to the fact that South Africa is not a completely failed society despite the abundance of state failures.
Of course, there are unfortunate rear-guard actions by government institutions to justify their failures and prevent society from helping itself. Unlike many fragile and failed states, nominally free and fair elections are still held in this country and the ANC still wants to create the illusion that it can provide the public with the services it is supposed to, but no longer can.
Eskom’s temerity to prevent the residents of the Mafube local municipality to eschew load-shedding by generating their own solar power, is completely absurd and pernicious. We must keep fighting these battles with an undaunted determination, not only in the courts but also by ratcheting up all manner of public pressure. And besides, at the rate at which the state is deteriorating, it might not even be necessary to fight these battles at some point in the future.
*Dr Eugene Brink is a business consultant, entrepreneur and independent analyst.
