2023 … some reflections on the year that was!

At this time last year I published a similar post reflecting on the happenings of 2022. It is interesting to reflect on what I said then in the light of what has transpired in 2023. In December of 2022, the echoes of COVID-19 still remained, something that has now almost vanished from the public consciousness despite reports of new variants, similar to the amnesia that may follow a very traumatic event. In Britain, however, the country continues to anguish over the consequences of what was and what was not done during the pandemic in the public hearings of a commission of inquiry into the actions of those in positions of authority during that time. The aim ostensibly, rather than a political witch hunt, is to learn from the lessons learned during the pandemic although at times the hearings do seem to border on the latter. In South Africa faced with so many immediate and long-standing problems, it is probably fortunate that a similar process has not been initiated.

Other challenges facing South Africans at the end of 2022 still remain as 2023 draws to a close. Unemployment remains at record levels with an economy that is stagnant, safety and security challenges continue at all levels of society, education fails to deliver for many, local government has all but collapsed in many areas, infrastructure such as roads and rail deteriorate, fraud and corruption that has destroyed parastatals persists, while gross inequity in our society remains. Many of my posts during 2023 dealt with these and other issues. Despite the promise of a “new dawn” by the President almost six years ago, the government seems to lurch from one crisis to the next although accountability for what has occurred appears at best limited and at worst non-existent.

2023 was a year during which I was forced to face my own mortality with a sojourn in hospital after two abdominal surgeries and a time in an intensive care unit. This episode forced me to face both the fact that time waits for no-one and further the critical importance of quality healthcare. Without the intervention of skilled medical professionals I would in all likelihood not be writing this post today. In the light of this my concerns are heightened by what is envisaged in the National Health Insurance (NHI) legislation very recently passed by the South African parliament.

During the year I wrote posts describing the challenges faced due to budget shortfalls at the Livingstone Hospital in the Eastern Cape and the outbreak of cholera in Gauteng both of which were markers of the failure of the public health service in this country. Some may argue that these and other instances are the justification for the urgent introduction of NHI. However, I have outlined on several occasions what in my opinion are critical flaws in the legislation awaiting the President’s signature and it appears that similar concerns raised by others were largely ignored in the final bill that was passed by both houses of the South African parliament. I have reiterated on many occasions that the principle on which NHI is based is laudable but in the current South African context, the need to address the inequity in the access to healthcare notwithstanding, what is envisaged is to be charitable over ambitious.

During 2023, the now Chief Justice Raymond Zondo lamented the inaction of government and parliament to respond concretely to the recommendations of the Commission investigating State Capture which he chaired. Although vehemently denied by both government and the ruling party in parliament, most citizens seemed to agree with the Chief Justice. Those involved in looting State coffers and decimating parastatals have to date seemingly gone unpunished. In fact, rather than address critical issues it was more comfortable to attempt to discredit the former Eskom CEO following his television interview and the publication of his book, Truth to Power. The book revealed details of the disastrous consequences of fraud and corruption at Eskom. The appointment of a so-called Minister of Electricity, other than further blurring the lines between management and politicians in a parastatal has made little difference to the deficiencies at Eskom. Load shedding (power outage) during 2023 was at its worst level ever severely impacting on the everyday lives of citizens and resulting in immense damage to the economy.

My wife and I were fortunate to be able to travel overseas in October this year, first to visit my children who emigrated to Scotland three years ago and then to Germany and Austria. Travelling outside South Africa allows one to place the problems of one’s own country into perspective. In the countries we visited one can travel safely on a train that arrives on time and walk to one’s hotel at night without feeling unsafe. In Scotland burglar bars and security systems in homes are unnecessary and one can walk alone in a forest unconcerned for one’s safety. Very different from the Table Mountain National Park where in recent times people are frequently mugged. For a month we forgot about load shedding as the lights remained on without fail. That is not to say that social problems do not exist in the countries that we visited where we saw homeless people sleeping rough in cities. In a sense what our time out of the country emphasised for me was what could be possible in a country as diverse and beautiful as South Africa with effective leadership and the honest efforts of everyone.

South Africans have a unique bond which we experienced while travelling abroad. In a hotel I was greeted by a total stranger, a person of colour, in Afrikaans who recognised the South African flag on our baggage tags. We watched the semi-final and final of the Rugby World Cup in Sports pubs in Vienna and Munich and were joined on both occasions by members of the South African diaspora to enthusiastically cheer the Springboks in their one point victories. The euphoria, similar to that which followed the Rugby World Cup triumphs of 1995 and 2019, that greeted the most recent Springbok victories which we experienced in foreign cities was echoed across South Africa emphasising that as South Africans, personified in many ways by the self-effacing Springbok Captain, Siya Kolisi, we have much in common and that we can unite around a common goal.

Another remarkable achievement during 2023, although individual on this occasion, was the victory of a South African woman in the gruelling non-stop solo Golden Globe Round the World yacht race (GGR). Kirsten Neuschafer not only became the first woman to win the event but also diverted from her route to rescue a fellow competitor from a life raft after his yacht had sunk in the Southern Indian Ocean. As with the Springbok rugby team, an event of this nature lifted the gloom that tended to infect South Africans during 2023.

2024 as an election year in South Africa brings with it a multitude of political parties promising in their election manifestos a changed and better future for South Africans. There is a possibility that for the first time there may not be an outright winner when the polls close leading to possible coalition governments at provincial and national level. Whatever the outcome let us hope that 2024 brings with it some relief for the citizens from the everyday challenges that they currently face. I would welcome a future where if I am able to again post my reflections on 2024 as the year draws to a close that some of the issues outlined in my posts of 2023 and earlier which have plagued this country for the last decade will have been addressed. I live in hope for that and a better future for everyone in this country that we all call home!