Open letter to President Ramaphosa – Do not divide communities when you want a social compact

23 March 2022

The letter below by Dries Wiese, Chairperson of the Afrikanerbond was sent to the office President Ramaphosa today.

The office of the president already acknowledged receipt of the letter.

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Dear President Ramaphosa

With reference to the speech of 21 March 2022 on Human Rights Day at Koster in the North West

We made the effort to read your original speech and did not merely rely on media reports on the content of the speech.

On 10 February 2022, you delivered the state of the nation address in the City Hall of Cape Town. Among other things, you said, “We have given ourselves 100 days to finalise a comprehensive social compact to grow our economy, create jobs and combat hunger. This work will build on the foundation of the Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan (ERRP), which remains our common programme to rebuild the economy. To be effective, this social compact needs to include every South African and every part of our society.”

Depending on your interpretation of the time scale, the social compact is supposed to be in place by Saturday 21 May 2022 or, if based on working days only, by 27 July 2022. Achieving this aim by either date would, however, require superhuman powers. It would entail enormous amounts of interaction with all South African communities and intense dialogue with all role players and stakeholders to succeed.

This makes your remarks on Human Rights Day in Koster all the more disappointing and unnecessary. Instead of building bridges, you divide; instead of bringing together, you put asunder; and instead of reaching out to communities, you push them away.

The political incident in Sharpeville on 21 March 1960 and the heinous individual racist act in Skierlik on 14 January 2008 should be condemned — that much is indisputable. No one condones it. What strikes one, however, is that you do not discriminate. It is evident from your speech that you are tarring the entire white community with the same brush, setting all of them up as racists, based on one incident. Racism occurs in all communities and it needs to be addressed in all communities.

You as president have the task and obligation to consistently promote nation building. Your levelling of this one-sided condemnatory accusation of racism at the white community, based on a single incident, is not worthy of the office you hold, and we are deeply disappointed about it. No social compact can be built on such a base, and so you yourself destroy any hope of achieving the miracle that must take place.

Where is your recognition of the white community's contribution every day to the restoration of service delivery and infrastructure destroyed by cadres, including in Koster? Where is your recognition of the white community’s daily economic endeavours towards job creation for all, including the black community? Where is your recognition of the white community’s daily involvement in all communities through outreach activities and poverty allevation work? Where is your recognition of the white community who call South Africa their home and make a positive difference every day?

You throw the spotlight on incendiary long-past white-on-black incidents, yet you refer only in passing to human rights abuses such as crime; murder, and especially farm murders; xenophobia; state capture; riots and looting; corruption; failing service delivery; infrastructure sabotage; the list goes on — and we are not pointing a finger at the race or ethnicity of such offenders, it would benefit no one. These are the crimes and human rights violations that every South African has to contend with every day, in the here and now. We must conclude that you seem to have lost your grip on the current reality.

First and foremost, for a social compact to have any prospect of succeeding, trust must be restored, for we have lost all trust.  As a civil society that includes the business sector, there is a lack of trust in the government, a lack of trust in politicians, a lack of trust in the civil service, in the police, and in the criminal justice system but also in you as president for every South African. . 

Does it surprise you that there is already a parallel structure in many areas which the citizenry of South Africa established and now maintain? Training, education, medical services, security, infrastructure are all provided where the state fails. This must cause you serious concern and is most probably the reason for the misplaced outburst and accusations directed at the white community. Your frustration is understandable, because the state's shoddy work cannot be set right in 100 days, and you need the input of everyone, individually and collectively. However, you will not obtain the required cooperation if finger-pointing and one-sided accusations are the basis on which you wish to build a social compact.

There is still hope for a new social compact, but then it must happen with a spirit of mutual trust and within the guidelines of the SA constitution. In particular, it will require a head of state who can get the best out of all South Africans and all communities for the benefit of the country as a whole.

We would welcome an opportunity to discuss our concerns with you but also to convey our suggestions regarding the social compact.

Sincerely yours

Issued by Dries Wiese, Chairperson of the National Council of the Afrikanerbond, 23 March 2022