President Ramaphosa speaking at the 5th South African Investment Conference on 13th April 2023 made the following statements; “We are now confronted with the consequences of years of under-investment, mismanagement and corruption in our electricity, rail and logistics sector.” and that, “We are on a long journey to rebuild our country and recover ground we have lost. Our recovery is a mission and will take time to accomplish”.
He continued that, “The lack of reliability in electricity supply weakens business and consumer confidence, taints international perceptions about our country and affects investment sentiment and decisions” concluding that, “If the focus of our struggle for liberation to end apartheid and achieve political freedom, the focus of our efforts must be to address inequality and ensure that every South African enjoys the fruits of democracy”.
It is praiseworthy that the President is frank when he says that the country is confronted by the consequences of under investment, mismanagement and corruption and that the journey will be a long one to recover the ground lost. He could have made similar statements about what has occurred in the public health sector over the last two decades and where inequality between those dependent on the public health sector compared to those fortunate to be able to access the private health sector has likewise widened. The challenge however is not solely investment and words spoken at another conference, but rather how the actions that are required will be implemented. The political reforms that occurred after 1994 should have led in almost thirty years to greater progress toward the goal of addressing inequality and ensuring that every South African enjoys the fruits of democracy.
Much of the policy framework across government has been reformed with new laws promulgated and others amended to give effect to what is contained in the 1996 South African Constitution. Elections for both national, provincial and local government have been held with political parties given the opportunity to present political manifestos to the electorate although at the polls the majority party across the country, with the exception of the Western Cape, remained largely unchanged. For that reason the failure to change the everyday realities of a majority of South Africans, be it related to the public health sector or elsewhere, must rest with the politicians who have been in power during that time.
If the policies adopted reflect, as I have said, what is contained in the Constitution, then the fault must lie with their implementation. The President refers to mismanagement and corruption documented in detail in the reports of the Zondo Commission. The failure to implement policies, whilst resulting from political indecision and the consequences of corruption that occurred on a grand scale during the years of “State Capture”, can be attributed to the failure to develop a stable, independent and competent public service in South Africa after 1994. Good policies, and we have a surfeit of those, will go nowhere without capable public servants to implement them. The President in his speech highlighted challenges related to electricity, rail and the logistics sectors but this is equally relevant in the health sector.
I written often about the importance of effective management. The appointment of people ill-equipped and ill-prepared for the tasks that they are intended to perform has limited progress across across many sectors in South Africa. Whether this has been the result of so-called “cadre deployment” which was identified as an issue by Justice Zondo becoming an issue highlighted by opposition politicians, a consequence of what is termed the “transformation of the public service” or a lack of suitably qualified and skilled individuals prepared to work in the government sector, the result has been stagnation of government progress particularly after the initial fervour and progress that followed the democratic transition in 1994. Certainly the years of “State Capture” provided ample opportunities for those seeking to benefit illegally from positions within the South African public service.
As indicated in the title of this post, there is a vast difference between intentions such as those outlined by the President at the 5th South African Investment Conference and concrete action that will ensure that those intentions become a reality. As South Africans we have experienced too many conferences, task teams, advisory committees and special appointments touted as the solutions to the challenges faced by this country. Rather than another well-meaning task team, and I have been a member of a few, conferences or advisory committees what is needed are competent and skilled people given the space, without undue political interference, to implement what is needed to address the many challenges that South Africa faces.
For this to become a reality what is urgently required is a professional and independent public service which should become an employer of choice. There should be an acceptance and understanding of the separation of responsibilities between those elected into political office and those appointed into positions of authority in the public service. I am advocating an independent public service and that senior public servants should not be active members of any political party. In my own case whilst I was politically active prior to my appointment in a senior management position in the public service, I resigned my political party membership once appointed. There must be acceptance by public servants of the political manifesto and policies of the government of the day. If they are unwilling to implement these policies, particularly if they hold senior positions, they should follow their conscience and resign.
If South Africa in the words of the President is “on a long journey to rebuild our country and recover ground we have lost” an essential component to that recovery will be the independent, competent and professional public service free from political interference. As a health professional I hope that this would result in a public health sector of which we all could be proud. South Africa has the people across a wide spectrum capable of contributing to make this a reality. Together with the good intentions expressed by the President at the Investment Conference there must be a concerted effort to make this a reality.
