Sandy Blackburn-Wright lived in South Africa during some of the most turbulent times of the country’s modern history. Speaking at the Sydney Writer’s Festival she recounted standing amidst over one hundred thousand supporters of the African National Congress (ANC), who had gathered to hear Nelson Mandela speak. Although unable to see any other whites except her friends, she recalled Mandela’s call to all South Africans, regardless of race, and his thanks for the support of all who were helping in the struggle against apartheid. She felt that he was talking directly to her, and was speaking for her.

While talking of the great leaders of South Africa’s past Blackburn-Wright was saddened by the outlook for the country’s future. A country that she had seen producing a generation of great leaders has moved from one weak leader to another possibly weaker one, with the ANC nominating Jacob Zuma as the next in line to become president when Thabo Mbeki steps down next year.  And with South Africa currently a virtual one-party state, he will become president; that is unless he is convicted of one of the corruption charges he faces.

Jacob Zuma is a man who's rhetoric has reached the vast number of underprivileged South Africans; he has promised to help them. He was elected as president of the ANC by less than 4000 people at the ANC national conference, from a South African population of over 45 million. This process is hardly democratic, and could see a man who has faced rape and corruption charges-further charges are still pending- become the next president of South Africa. Desmond Tutu has said that South Africa will hand its head in shame if someone charged with rape and corruption becomes the country’s next president and before the ANC national conference he urged Jacob Zuma not to run. A high-ranking ANC member told a British newspaper that most, if not all of the officials who have been handling South Africa’s finances in the 13 years since Mandela came to power would abandon their posts under a Zuma presidency.  Similar calls have been heard amongst the South African leadership and bureaucracy.

Blackburn-Wright attributed the election of this inadequate candidate partly as the result of uneducated, poorer members of the public being misled by rhetoric. It is understandable that many South Africans are unhappy with the leadership of Thabo Mbeki; he has failed to deal with president Robert Mugabe of neighbouring Zimbabwe, has an appalling record in regards to handling his country’s AIDS pandemic, has failed to control extreme crime rates, and most importantly for many, South Africa’s government has failed to distribute the benefits of the country’s recent impressive economic growth of more than five per cent a year. Unemployment at 24 per cent and the casualisation of labour in many areas, contrasted with massive increases in wealth at the top-end of society, has resulted in rising crime rates and more recently, the riots that saw foreigners killed and injured. There are valid reasons to opt for change and Jacob Zuma has presented himself as the champion of the poor, however it is highly doubtful that his actions will live up to his rhetoric.

Scholar and political analyst Xolela Mangcu says of Jacob Zuma, “There is nothing about his public actions that suggests he is a populist, that he would return power to the poor.” Another veteran analyst of South African politics, Steven Friedman, said that critics who believed Mr. Zuma’s political rhetoric indicated impending radical change were mistaken, “this is a mainstream figure who was a bosom buddy and close confidante of Thabo Mbeki. He’s not some wild man coming in from the hills to destroy the palace.”

The economic situation and stability of South Africa is vital not only to its own population, but to the whole African region. Botswana, Namibia, Mozambique, Swaziland, Lesotho, Angola – even Zambia and Malawi – depend on an economically vibrant South Africa. Zimbabwe’s economic meltdown has been a warning to other countries-the region depends on South Africa, just as Zimbabwe was once known as the bread basket of Africa.

Domestically, the phenomenal growth of the South African economy in recent years has unfortunately been jobless growth. Redistribution policies aimed at promoting redress among blacks, treating them as a homogonous group have inevitably benefited middle-class blacks at the expense of poor blacks. For example, promising black students are offered positions in better-equipped formerly white schools, rather than raising overall standards at the bottom end. Moreover, business support packages have not gone to street vendors.

Other potential leaders such as Tokyo Sexwale and Cyril Ramaphosa were named by Blackburn-Wright as potential leaders who could create real change in South Africa; however they have not shown indications of making a serious run for the leadership. She pointed to the sad fact that a generation who should be taking up the roles of leadership now, were either killed or destroyed by their fight to end apartheid.

Image: Interview with Jacob Zuma
Image by Gregor Rohrig
Courtesy of Creative Commons