Deputy President Paul Mashatile: 3 Decades of Democracy in South Africa Conference

26 July 2024

Programme Director, Principal of the National School of Government, Professor Busani Ngcaweni;
Deputy Minister, Pinky Kekana, thank you for the wam welcome and introduction;
Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of Johannesburg, Professor Letlhokwa George Mpedi;
Vice Dean: Faculty of Humanities, Professor Bhaso Ndzendze;
Auditor General of South Africa, Ms. Tsakane Maluleke;
Commissioner of the Broad-Based Economic Empowerment Commission, Mr. Tshediso Matona;
MISTRA, representative, Mr Abba Omar;
Chairperson of the Nedbank Group, Mr Daniel Mminele;
Dr Ra’ed Mohammed BenShams, Former Director General in Bahrain National of Government;
Senior Public Servants, from the Presidency and across Government;
Students and Labour representatives here present;
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Good Morning, 

Thank you for the invitation to participate in this conference. I had hoped to join you at the beginning of the conference as you discussed some of the crucial issues that confront our government and affect our developmental path. 

Nevertheless, we got a report from our team, and we are looking forward to putting the outcomes of yesterday's and today's conversations into action as we navigate the important work of strengthening our democracy and service delivery. 

I regard this conference as important and strategic, especially considering that we come out of one of the most complex elections we have seen since 1994. The Conference gives us an opportunity to reflect on our country's socio-economic trends over the past 30 years, as well as to further reflect on the achievements and challenges we have surmounted as we look into our future in the next 30 years. 

As has been deliberated upon in the past day, this reflection must enable us to ensure that over the next 3 decades we must see meaningful social, economic, and global transformation.

In our reflections, we need to show an understanding of the world we live in in order to develop appropriate responses that are scientific, and evidence based. This requires allocating resources towards research capabilities and economic modelling, focusing on answering the fundamental policy questions of why, what, and how. 

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Since the advent of our democracy, 30 years ago, South Africa has made significant strides in overcoming divisions of the past, demonstrating remarkable progress in social transformation. The impact of democracy on social change has indeed been profound and far-reaching.

The advocacy and respect for human rights is the most important way in which our democracy has changed our society. Today, all South Africans, irrespective of their race, gender, or class have the same rights and duties.

In addition, this democracy has helped to promote social justice and equality. Citizens have used democratic processes, such as free and fair elections, to hold their government accountable and lobby for measures that address social injustices and imbalances.

This has resulted in the establishment of social welfare programs, affirmative action policies, social policies, and other initiatives aimed at alleviating poverty and promoting social inclusion.

The democratic political systems' efforts to create an environment that promotes economic growth and development have transformed the lives of many South Africans.

We have designed and executed a variety of policies and initiatives to encourage entrepreneurship, innovation, and investment, including tax incentives, small business development grants, and the establishment of incubators, accelerators, and other support structures.

While we have made significant progress in changing the spatial outlook of our towns and cities, we are going to invest in building developmental, resilient and strong local government. This is because local government is at the coal face of service delivery.

Compatriots,
The world we live in today is characterised by global megatrends such as; poverty, inequality, climate change, geopolitical changes underscored by populism, wars, and a growing multipolar world.

According to the World Bank, South Africa is amongst the most unequal societies in the world. In 2015, more than a quarter of the population lived below the food poverty line. Moreover, according to the findings of Stats SA’s annual General Household Survey (GHS), released in May this year, grants are the main source of income for almost one-quarter (23%) of households nationally.

The official unemployment rate stands at 41.9%, an increase of 0.8% in Q1 2024 compared to Q4 2023. Youth aged 15–24 years and 25–34 years continue to have the highest unemployment rates at 59.7% and 40.7%, respectively.

We highlight these facts because we do not want to ignore the reality of our economy being fraught with challenges. We also do this to emphasise that we recognise that government must strengthen its endeavours in implementing reforms and coming up with innovative approaches that will transform the economy and, subsequently, the lives of the people.

In our critical reflections, and efforts to come up with solutions to some of the problems that we face, we must have an appreciation of the role that Chapter 9 & 10 institutions of our constitution have and continue to play in stabilising our democracy as it relates to engendering a platform for sound public administration, as well as protection of all human rights as enshrined in our law. 

These institutions alongside sound policies have made it possible for us to usher in social transformation to the extent that it is seen in our education, health, social welfare and infrastructure development. While we still have a long way to go, specifically as it relates to dealing with unemployment, poverty and inequality, we should never undermine the strides that we have made thus far. 

Ladies and Gentlemen, 

Three of the main contributions I wish to deposit into the discussions for consideration are on climate change, intra continental trade, and global peace efforts.

Firstly, we cannot ignore the reality that climate change negatively impacts our economy’s development and most importantly livelihoods. It is therefore imperative that we think about our economic growth and development in very specific ways. This means that we must consider its implications for trade, finance and the management of businesses. 

This week, the President assented to the Climate Change Bill, which outlines the country's response to climate change, including measures for adaptation and mitigation. This Bill also provides for South Africa to lead intra-African trade that is anchored on greener economic pathways that are more sustainable. 

Second, as South Africa, we must take advantage of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which is one of the flagship projects of the African Union (AU) Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want.

The AfCFTA is a comprehensive scope that includes critical areas of Africa's economy, such as digital trade and investment protection, among others. By eliminating barriers to trade in Africa, the objective of the AfCFTA is to boost intra-Africa trade, particularly trade in value-added production and trade across all sectors of Africa’s economy. The AfCFTA agreement will help us to move closer to building a better Africa, and ultimately a better world. 

Thirdly, supporting peace efforts on the continent is one of the most important interventions that we can make towards our own social cohesion and nation building efforts, as well as those at a global stage. 

We must as such treat the issue of silencing the guns in Africa as one of critical importance. Towards this end, we are working with the people of South Sudan to bring about peace and ensure that they can hold peaceful elections in December 2024.

Together with the Minister of International Relations, we have set up a task team shuttling between Juba and Pretoria to support these efforts. We recognise this as important and appreciate the President's recent visit to ensure that we realise our shared vision of a peaceful election that will bring about stability in that part of the continent.

Additionally, we will continue to work with regional bodies for peace and development on our continent, including the African Union. We will not seize to echo our voices against global conflict, including the Palestine-Israel conflict. We are committed to global peace and our own struggle against apartheid has shaped our posture on these issues and provided us with key experiences and lessons learnt.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Allow me to make a few reflections on the political reality of the Government of National Unity (GNU) that is currently faced with the task of taking South Africa forward in this epoch. 

Some among you may recall that the process of adopting the 1993 interim Constitution and the CODESA process, included engaging sectors of society that contributed to the multi-party process, which led to the adoption of the 1996 Constitution.

We have always known that the nation-formation process is thoroughgoing.

As I said at the beginning, this conference is appropriate for asking a critical question as to whether we are on track toward attaining the goal of a socially inclusive and cohesive nation.

Responding to this question requires that we borrow a page from our history books, specifically the period in 2012 when we held a social cohesion summit in Kliptown that discussed whether we are indeed working together toward building an inclusive nation as envisaged in the Freedom Charter.

Our vision as found in the Freedom Charter is one aimed at building a society based on the best in human civilisation in terms of political and human freedoms, socio-economic rights, value systems, and identity. This human civilisation should manifest itself through the continuous enhancement of methods to harness our natural environment, transform it into a shared human benefit, and guarantee its renewal for future generations.

It should also find expression in human relations management based on political equality and social inclusivity. If there were to be any single measure of the civilising mission, it should be based on how the most vulnerable in society are treated.

The GNU is therefore guided by these aspirations that underscore the Freedom Charter’s call that ‘The people shall govern.

Indeed, this is a historic moment which leads us to draw from the wisdom of one of the founding leaders of our Movement; Pixley ka Isaka Seme, who said; 

“The demon of racialism, the aberrations of the Xosa-Fingo feud, the animosity that exists between the Zulus and the Tongaas, between the Basutos and every other Native must be buried and forgotten; it has shed among us sufficient blood! We are one people. These divisions, these jealousies, are the cause of all our woes and all our backwardness and ignorance today”.

More than 140 years since the historic speech by Pixley ka Isaka Seme and 30 years into Freedom and Democracy, and guided by the Constitution as adopted in 1996, we are called upon to implement our commitment to the Freedom Charter which calls on us to build a South Africa that belongs to all who live in it. The Freedom Charter equally calls on us to fight side by side for the realisation of its ideals. 

In the same vein allow me to paraphrase Former President Oliver Reginald Tambo who envisaged a society wherein; “We have a vision of South Africa in which black and white shall live and work together as equals in conditions of peace and prosperity”. 

Therefore, the 2024 election outcomes present us an opportunity to return to the task of building a South Africa that will no longer be defined by race, class or gender, a South Africa where all have equal opportunities. 

As a testament to the 7th Administration's promising start and the commitment of various political parties within the GNU, we have agreed to develop a common programme to create a better, more equal, and more just South Africa.

For us to reach our objective, the National Development Plan 2030 goals remain the central pillar to guide the development approach, which will inform the outcomes to be achieved in this Administration.

Therefore, in the next five years, our strategic priorities are as follows:

To create inclusive economic growth and job creation

Maintain and optimise the social wage

Build a capable ethical and developmental state

Our goal is to encourage fixed capital investment, industrialisation, job creation, and the transformation of our people's lives. We remain intentional in investing in people through education, skills development, and providing quality health care. We want to change our communities' spatial outlook by building inclusive cities and providing them with services.

We call upon all sectors of society to work with us and ensure that ours is a stable, efficient, and effective democracy that brings all people together. 

As you might be aware, following our successful initiative to rally all parties behind a united agenda, we have now set our sights on deepening this initiative by engaging in a substantive national dialogue as proposed by the President.

The national dialogue aims to initiate fresh conversations that tackle relevant and unresolved issues that affect most South Africans, particularly the impoverished. While there is no drawn agenda yet, we are optimistic that a planning process involving political formations and social formations will define the form and content of the dialogue.

We believe that developing a solid strategy for economic transformation should be at the centre of our dialogue, without pre-empting the task of collective agenda setting. Such an approach will have a positive effect on poverty, inequality, and unemployment levels.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Throughout this process, academic and research institutes such as this, have an important role to play, it is in these institutions where we place our confidence of where solutions to some of the identified challenges will come from. It is through these knowledge institutions that we believe capacity exists to both theorise and provide practical solutions.

Therefore, I invite all of you seated here today, to take the lead in providing answers that will harness the potential for South Africa to become the world's finest civilisations.

In conclusion, I firmly believe that our nation possesses sound policies, yet we struggle with their execution due to inter, inter alia, a deficiency in accountability. I believe that accountability is essential for successful implementation. Our motto now is to strategically put our policies into action.

To deliver results, we must invest in preparation, devise a workable plan and be more meticulous in our implementation. We are exploring the concept and science of deliverology as a way to do our work.

The term deliverology was first used and developed by Sir Michael Barber from the UK government. It emphasises the significance of establishing unambiguous targets and performance metrics, followed by continuous monitoring to guarantee the achievement of deliverables.

The most effective deliverologists prioritize these questions: "How will our actions impact citizens?" And how will we know?

In this regard, through mechanisms such as Operation Vulindlela in the Presidency, we will continue to monitor and strengthen the transformation efforts and improve the lives of many South Africans. Primarily, we will assess the areas that require significant attention to tackle poverty, racial inequality, and economic development.

As we continue to reflect on 30 years of democracy, let us remember the people who gave their lives and fought for freedom, equality, and justice. Let us draw inspiration from our collective journey and utilise it to propel us towards a better future.

I thank you. Ha khensa! Inkomu!

Issued by The Presidency, 26 July 2024