Opinion
The Future of South Africa: Seven Things That Need to Happen
The third is to fix education, the most powerful policy tool that can shape South Africa’s future and uplift its citizens. South Africa has lost almost two decades in reconfiguring its education system – a failure in policy and implementation that contributed to the exclusion of many potential employees from a labor market that rewards good education, technical skills and entrepreneurship.
Providing relevant education should be a top priority for all South Africans, for it is truly transformational and equalizes opportunity. Economic growth (to bring about increased employment) is the fourth priority. South Africa needs a growing economy as the backbone of its efforts to reduce inequality and implement responsible redistributive policies. Income inequalityharms growth and is socially disruptive at its current levels in South Africa.
The barriers to employment, such as rigid labour legislation, therefore need to be lowered, while innovation and entrepreneurship should be encouraged in order to unlock the potential of micro, small and medium-sized businesses. An environment needs to be created in which employers are willing to take on new entrants to the labour market so that they can accumulate the required work experience to make them valuable and productive employees.
Lowering the barriers to entry into the economy by cutting red tape and simplifying procedures is essential. In the process, Government needs to ensure that the hard-won gains of the Labour Relations Act of 1995 are not lost. Additional measures, as set out in the National Development Plan (NDP) to reduce inequality will also be required – although none can compete with a top-quality education system in terms of delivering opportunities for the poor and boosting employment rates.
In line with Nelson Mandela’s vision, the fifth priority for South Africa is the revitalisation of a common and active South African citizenship, as reflected in Chapter 15 of the NDP 2030. Government will have to embark on an extensive outreach process to provide formal opportunities and platforms for public participation as well as access to information (which it largely already does).
An active citizenship means individuals accepting responsibility for improving local issues where they can make a difference, such as refurbishing a local school, general civic engagement or involvement in local community organisations. It also implies the steady replacement of racial categorisation by a class-based analysis, along with a conscious effort to reclaim the non-racial traditions within the ruling party.
In the area of foreign policy and trade, the sixth priority is the need for regional integration and the revitalization of the Department of National Defence and Veterans. South Africa cannot grow in isolation and its future will be influenced by what happens in the immediate neighbourhood, both positively and negatively.
