President Cyril Ramaphosa on Wednesday acknowledged that while progress has been made since the dawn of democracy, “for millions of South Africans, the promise of 1994 has not yet translated into the meaningful change that they seek and deserve”.
Ramaphosa made the comments on Wednesday when he received the 30 Years of Democracy Review Report from the Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation.
The report reflects on the political, social, and economic journey of transformation of South Africa since 1994 at the advent of democracy, in order to derive lessons and make recommendations for the country’s development agenda.
It also aims to provide evidence for the development of the new Medium Term Strategic Framework (MTSF) 2024–2029, which serves as a five-year plan of government towards the implementation of the National Development Plan Vision 2030.
Addressing the launch of the report, Ramaphosa said the report contained an honest and critical appraisal of 30 years into democracy that would be used to inform future government planning.
“We are contending with slow economic growth, high unemployment, poverty, inequality and underdevelopment. We know that for millions of South Africans, the promise of 1994 has not yet translated into the meaningful change that they seek and deserve. That is why we must, and we will, continue to work in earnest to resolve the challenges that are holding back our progress.”
Touching on the achievements, he said guided by the Constitution and its Bill of Rights, “successive democratic administrations have implemented progressive policies and programmes to uplift the material condition of all South Africans, particularly society’s most vulnerable”.
Unisa lecturer in the Department of Political Sciences, Sanet Solomon, said that over the past 30 years, the South African government had made great strides through the provision of free basic education, health care and other social services.
“Despite this, South Africa remains one of the most unequal societies globally. Unemployment, poverty and inflation remain at an all-time high.
This negatively impacts the most fragile in society. To address the ills facing the country, the government needs to improve governance and positively contribute towards the creation of an environment conducive for economic growth that trickles down to every fibre of society. As a country, we need to prioritise improved and quality access to education, health care and basic services.
We need to move beyond employment opportunities to actual job creation. We need to ensure that our education aligns with the skills the market needs. All this requires a return to the drawing board and an honest reflection on the state of affairs,” she said.
Stellenbosch University School of Public Leadership director Professor Zwelinzima Ndevu said 30 years of democracy is a big milestone for the South African government and for the people of South Africa.
“When we do look at the living conditions of our people, many things have changed and many new things have been introduced that would improve the life of our people. But many of those changes have not been sufficient to really take our people from one level to the other. You still see people that do not have housing.
“There have been pockets of improvement, but that improvement has not really translated into essential services that are needed.
“In the health sector there are a number of strides that have been made but we still have institutions/facilities where people would not be treated well, and would not get the adequate medical service they require.”
SA1st Forum convener advocate Rod Solomons said: “We can’t talk away the fact that from a human rights perspective and humane perspective we are definitely in a better space.”
Cape Times