South Africa: 2014 State of the Nation Address Review

On the 13th February 2014, President Jacob Zuma delivered the last State of the Nation Address of his first term. As expected the address focused on the last 20 years of South Africa’s democracy as well as the five year term of President Zuma in charge. The speech saw the President painting a picture of progress and success for the ANC government. This comes at a critical time when the country is headed towards elections. This has led to many opposition leaders criticising the President for electioneering instead of genuinely addressing the problems faced by the country.

The President’s address did not dwell much on plans for the future. This was understandable as parliament will be reconvened after the elections in May as a new government is appointed. The speech to be held later in the year will be the one to carve out a path for 2014 and the next five years. The President’s State of the Nation touched on most of the issues that are commonly discussed in South Africa, including, labour unrest, education, health, employment and infrastructure. There were no major revelations; even the account of the past 20 years did not present a unique perspective.

Hitting the right note for certain quarters

The President certainly hit the right notes for some quarters of the South African public. His venture into the issues of public protests as well as labour strife was applauded. One particular area the President focused on was the mining sector. The President went off his speech notes and spoke off the cuff regarding the conflicts in the sector. This was inspiring and it drove home the urgency of stabilising the industry.

The significance of the mining sector to the South African economy; including its role in employment and generating export revenue, cannot be taken lightly. The President emphasised his government’s commitment to resolving the conflict, with the Deputy President, Kgalema #Montlanthe continuing his work in facilitating discussions between government, mining companies and labour. The President however did not touch on whether Montlanthe would continue this role after the election as the Deputy President is not expected to remain in government. Hopefully this will not have a negative impact on the progress made.

President Zuma also highlighted the advancements in mining regulation. Government approvals for environmental impact assessments, water licenses and mining licenses have been streamlined; which will fast track the process from applying for a licence to starting a mine. The amendments being finalised in parliament would cut to less than 300 days, the time it takes to start a mine, from application to approvals.

South Africa a better place to live in?

It was not much of a surprise for the President to draw a line of success from 1994 to 2014; combining the achievements of successive ANC administrations. South Africa has indeed made remarkable progress. The average standard of living for many in the country has risen tremendously. South Africans now have an abundance of opportunity to better their lives through education and economic endeavors. The country boasts a mature legislative regime to protect the interests of all including individuals and businesses.

One key area of success for the Zuma administration, which needs a lot more recognition, is the health sector. The turnaround led by Dr Aaron Motsoaledi has been one of the highlights of the past five years. While there are continuing problems in the sector, particularly in the public healthcare industry, there is a much more positive environment compared to the era of Aids denialism.

Regardless of these major accomplishments, many South Africans still live under difficult conditions. There are millions who are unemployed and can barely make ends meet. The growth of the past 20 years has not translated into the creation of jobs that would absorb those who enter the labour market each year. While the President praised the progress of adding 15 million people in the job market over the two decades he failed to acknowledge how the unemployment rate has risen from 22.9% in 1994 to around 24.1% at the end of 2013.

On education the President spoke about extending access to education. The state has increased the number of no-fee schools as well as enrollment from primary to tertiary levels. What the President did not take into account is the high dropout rate in the South African education system. About half of the pupils who were supposed to write the 2013 Matric (Grade 12) exams are said to have dropped out by grade 10. With these dropout rates South Africa can expect to welcome thousands of young people into the current crop of unemployed. South Africa has a youth unemployment rate of 50%, a risky situation when considering the developments in the Middle East region that led to the Arab Spring in 2011. An observable trend in the service delivery protests, which have increased in frequency over the past year, has been the involvement of unemployed youths. The youth unemployment in South Africa could turn to be a key destabilising factor.

Conclusion

The positive account of the past 20 years of the State of the Nation should not distract the present government from all the hard work that still needs to be done. The government will have to build on past successes and avoid many of the pitfalls of the past two decades. President Zuma needs to move his administration from simply having good policies on paper, and start delivering on its policy objectives. To do so the President will require a more reliable public service. This will mean not paying lip service to fighting incompetence and corruption. Should the state fail on delivering the manifesto promises of the upcoming elections, the next five years could see a more divided and unstable South Africa.

Originally published on the africapractice website here: http://www.africapractice.com/blogposts/page/26/?id=4983