Opinion
The Future of South Africa: Seven Things That Need to Happen
If South Africa is to convert its leadership ambitions in Africa into practice beyond relying on its mantra of inclusive solutions, difficult decisions need to be taken in the defense domain. Despite having the largest defence budget in sub-Saharan Africa, South Africa is only the eighth-largest supplier of troops and police in Africa, and its future capacity is in decline. Time has come for a radical intervention if the country is to avoid future embarrassment.
To grow, South Africa needs to commit and stick to a single, clear plan that can ensure a predictable and stable future, along with an education system that produces appropriate skills and rewards excellence.
The authorities need to communicate and explain such a plan at every opportunity. Information needs to be provided to measure progress and impact. In today’s global world, and in a country that is integrated into the global economy, a high-growth path needs to be market- and business-friendly.
Given South Africa’s unemployment and inequality challenges, it is imperative that it increases employment levels and implements measures to create a more equitable distribution of wealth and opportunity. The NDP provides a framework, although, like all plans, it would need to be amended and improved over time.
To translate strategy into implementation, the NDP must be converted into national and departmental action plans that are regularly monitored and measured. If it is to be effectively implemented, the NDP must continuously address accountability failures and the service-delivery crisis in the public service. It must also provide clarity on the blurred boundaries between local, provincial and national spheres of government, and on the ways in which affirmative action (and lack of entry criteria) is implemented in the civil service. This is the final and seventh priority.
Jakkie Cilliers is Executive Director of the Institute for Security Studies.
Copyright allAfrica 2014
