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SA COALITION: A LESSON FOR ALL

21/06/2024 06:51:00 Editor

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BIG brother South Africa has become a ‘new country’, so to speak, as the people have elected a president of an inclusive government, marking an end to the almost 30-year dominance of the African National Congress (ANC), which has enjoyed a majority vote since the fall of apartheid in 1994.

The recent SA election results saw the ANC only managing to garner 40 per cent of the votes. This has largely been attributed to poor service delivery, failing to deal with corruption, unemployment, crime, load-shedding and infighting that led to the formation of the MK Party led by former President Jacob Zuma, among other reasons. In summary, the nation’s unhappiness has led to significant shifts in the country’s political landscape.

Question

The most obvious question is: What does this mean for Eswatini politically, economically and otherwise? What lessons can we draw from this turn of events? Some of these challenges are similar to those we face in Eswatini, particularly corruption, crime and unemployment. Our persistent failure to deal with the corruption scourge is most likely to cost us dearly in the near future. The acid test is the corruption that has been revealed in the drugs shortage crisis. If we fail to address this issue appropriately and bring the main culprits to justice, public discontent could escalate, potentially upending the status quo in a manner similar to what has happened in South Africa today. Listening to various political commentators after President Cyril Ramaphosa’s inauguration for a second term, there is both hope and anxiety about what the new coalition government will bring for SA.

On the positive side, high anticipation abounds over a more effective government, given the likelihood of the different parties keeping each other in check, appointing competent people into positions, doing away with cadre deployment, favouritism and covering up for transgressions. This, it is believed, will yield a better-performing economy. A well-performing SA has several benefits for its neighbours, like Eswatini, as SA is our biggest trading partner.

Jobs

Hopefully, this will translate to more job opportunities for people in SA with less need to push the previous government’s immigration and pro-SA citizen labour policies, which threaten thousands of jobs for emaSwati in mining and other sectors. However, threats exist. Some quarters fear that conflict will reign supreme between the members of the new coalition if they fail to map out a proper mode of operation, which could lead to instability that would impact the region. Another threat lies in the potential for an economically sound South Africa to become an increasingly attractive destination for investors. Our neighbours have already developed incentives for their companies to buy more SA-produced goods. Recently, a lack of orders from SA forced some local textile companies to shut down, resulting in hundreds of local job losses.

On the political front, the new SA government’s foreign policy will give us direction on how it will relate to the kingdom’s monarchical democracy, seen as a small island in a sea of political party democracy. For several years since the end of apartheid in neighbouring South Africa, the former ruling party adopted a policy of quiet diplomacy towards Eswatini. We also enjoyed support from former SA President Jacob Zuma, who has, however, decided to form his own party and become the official opposition of the new coalition. In his inauguration address, President Ramaphosa stated that he wants to promote multilateralism for a fairer, more equal, more just, and more compassionate world and will pursue a foreign policy based on human rights, solidarity, and peace. What does this mean for us?

The ANC-led sixth administration recently demonstrated this desire by taking the Israel Government to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, Netherlands, and accusing it of violating its obligations under the Genocide Convention for its war on the Gaza strip. If that is how far it is willing to go in its mission to restore peace and order in the world, what lies ahead for other countries that it may perceive as needing to toe the human rights line?

The president also announced an upcoming national dialogue to help chart a way forward under the new dispensation. We anticipate that the new government’s mandate will emerge from this dialogue, shaping all future policies that will impact us in one way or another. We have learnt that Eswatini is yet to renew the Joint Bilateral Commission for Cooperation, which was signed in 2004 between the two countries but has elapsed. While we await the outcome of these developments and position ourselves for engaging with a ‘new country’, we should guard against being caught napping in the same way after the fall of apartheid.

The developments in South Africa present an opportunity for us to get organised, improve our service delivery and root out corruption in order to avoid creating an environment of discontent that fuels calls for change. No one can say the ANC saw this change coming so soon after their hard-fought battle for freedom. May we not have to say the same of our Tinkhundla System of Government in years to come.