South Africa started off pleasant with its first free elections in 1994 as a newly democratic nation.
Individuals queued up for hours to cast their votes, full of hope, positivity and happiness. Nelson Mandela was elected president after serving 27 years in prison, continuing that good nature.
The African National Congress ( ANC), Mandela’s political group and former pro- racism movement, came into power, ending not only white majority rule but generations of colonial mentality. It’s still in power now.
However, looking back on the past 30 years, the assessment on the state of Mandela’s “rainbow nation” is sober: The economy in the Cape of Good Hope is ailing, society is still divided along racial lines and people feel their politicians do n’t understand them.
Despite the fact that the ANC made the issue a top priority when it came to strength in 1994, the divide between rich and poor has continued to grow. These shattered goals are deeply irritable.
Progress — on sheet
But, there have also been some significant efforts, at least on paper.
Fredson Guilengue, software producer for Southern Africa at the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation in Johannesburg, said the country has at least” succeeded in introducing one of the most liberal governments in the world, establishing an independent judiciary, a free press, free and fair elections”.
He explained to DW that among the important goals made in the last three years are an expanded education system, greater access to electricity, cultural cover, and social solutions for the poor.
Guilengue even made a point about South Africa’s first ever law allowing relationship to same-sex partners was the first time it allowed discrimination based on sexual orientation.
Problem at the highest rates
In addition to these significant advancements, South Africa has over the past 30 years developed a powerful and active civil society that is outspoken in defending its rights in the face of hardship.
In recent years, nevertheless, that suffering appears to mostly come from the top tiers of government. The ruling ANC has repeatedly faced opposition from its energy challenges and reports of dishonest objectives.
These relationships have trickled down to affect everyone in the state, regardless of race or money: great poverty, crime and poverty, as well as the rising cost of living, are among the key issues that continue to plague South Africa.
Youth employment is a big concern, said Guilengue. Unemployment rates are high for almost third of those under the age of 34, which has further reinforced xenophobia, leading to dozens of deaths over the years, and contributed to this.
Most South Africans currently have home-run water and electricity. However, over the past ten years, power cuts, which were brought on by alleged corruption at the state power dealer Eskom, have caused the lights to go out for many people across the nation for hours each day.
Sorrow with politicians and officials
According to all these cultural grievances and other issues, the ruling ANC has consistently lost confidence over the years.
The group may fall short of the required 50 % majority in the upcoming May elections, which will see President Cyril Ramaphosa seek reelection for. This may force it to form a power-sharing agreement with an criticism partner.
There is a sense of deep sadness about the perceived failure of the major liberation party to rule the nation, according to financial analyst Daniel Silke.
Silke told DW that the ANC appears to be “incapable of upholding the moral standards set by Nelson Mandela” in particular.
” The efforts to bring people up as a nation, which were really evident in the first Mandela centuries, have evaporated”, he added.
Crash under Jacob Zuma, a former leader,
Under the management of previous president Jacob Zuma, who served from 2009 until his departure in 2018, South Africa has plunged into its most severe problems in the last three decades.
With the aid of his broad network of functionaries both within the ANC and outside the party, Zuma began plundering state treasury and bringing the country on the verge of bankruptcy.
Under Zuma’s command, the portmanteau “tenderpreneurship” was coined, describing government contracts — tenders — being handed over to willing entrepreneurs who scarcely yet pretended not to have family or friendship ties to those in power.
South Africa has never recovered from this encounter. On the contrary, clientelism and corruption seem to now be enshrined in the country’s society, said Silke.
The population is experiencing a great deal of unease, he said, adding that the country’s after richest nation in Africa is now a daily warning of the decline caused by the following collapse of infrastructure and logistics and a faltering economy as a result.
Deep scars from the racism time
However, important watchers have also pointed out that not all social problems can be attributed to the ANC’s incompetence.
Verne Harris, executive director of the Nelson Mandela Foundation, wondered “why we did n’t do better”, after the advent of democracy, questioning whether three decades are enough time to erase the trauma and the legacy of the long and profound processes of colonialism and apartheid.
” Some young people]now ] say Mandela was a traitor”, said Harris, referring to promises made of a better life in a united country.
” We have to deal with these discussions and consider some of the agreements we have made.”
We quickly realized that things may be fixed in a short amount of time, Harris said. ” Some times, this has resulted in quick fixes that have n’t been successful for us.”
Cape of ( Good ) Hope
Apart from its numerous domestic troubles, South Africa wants to stand out as a global advocate for oppression, especially in the wake of its decades-long racism history, Guilengue said.
The nation is spearheading humanitarian initiatives, sending soldiers to regions in the region to quiet unrest and bringing high-profile cases to international tribunals. South Africa brought a lawsuit against Israel at the International Court of Justice in The Hague against it after it was accused of violating international contracts, particularly the UN’s Genocide Convention, during the conflict in Gaza at the end of December 2023.
Guilengue believes that South Africa has made headway on the world politics front despite its numerous issues. It has come to realize that Africa’s standard collaborations with the West, built on decades of colonization, were no balanced, nor were they serving the best attention of the land, and so needed to change.
” For this reason, South Africa is pushing for changes in the UN Security Council, and is a member of the BRICS union, which claims to battle for good laws and financial partnerships”, said Guilengue.
” Perhaps we will notice a more effective South Africa in the future, both in Africa and worldwide”.
