The pillars of a new society after the pandemic

South Africa’s governance model, the way the country is run, is broken.

Without a new governance model, SA will be unable to overcome the Covid-19 health, social and economic crises, and is likely to plunge into economic chaos, social breakdown and rolling violent unrest.

Here are the pillars that should be the foundations of a new post-Covid-19 governance model for SA:

Evidence-based policy must be a key pillar of the management strategy model of the country. This will make government policy more logical, credible and palatable to wider constituencies. In the past few years, policymaking has often been based on ideology and wishful thinking, or has been corrupted.

Merit must be a principle of government operations. The talents of all South Africans, no matter their colour, ethnicity or political affiliation, must be used to rebuild the economy. Merit-based appointments to government positions and to structures that oversee Covid-19 economic restructuring are crucial. Crony, cadre and pork-barrel appointments to government structures have wreaked destruction since 1994. Tenders must be awarded on merit, fairness and good value.

Common sense must drive government decisions, actions and policies. Many government decisions over the years have made little rational sense.

Without fixing  broken governance,  an equitable and peaceful society is not possible

There has to be greater accountability from elected and public representatives — and consequences for wrongdoing. The culture of impunity must end. If citizens see a lack of accountability among public representatives, they more readily defy government injunctions.

There has to be a partnership between the public sector, the private sector, civil society and communities to rebuild the post-Covid economy. The private sector and civil society are not the enemy, as many ANC leaders may believe. The state cannot go it alone. It lacks the capacity, resources and ideas to execute economic policies on its own. Partnerships bring goodwill and skills, resources and wider buy-in.

The government must govern honestly. Without honesty, there can be no trust, the glue of effective partnerships, citizen compliance and willingness to behave public-spiritedly. This includes the government communicating honestly with citizens, beyond faceless statements, doublespeak and gobbledegook. It is crucial to rally citizens behind government initiatives.

Entrepreneurship has to be the heart of post-Covid economy reconstruction. Entrepreneurs create new industries, new jobs and new wealth. They increase the size of economies and fuel growth. They inspire a virtuous cycle of others trying their hand at starting new businesses, new developments and new initiatives, too. In SA, entrepreneurship will have to be promoted across society — within the state, private sector, civil society and communities.

Corruption has to be tackled with greater seriousness. No successful post-Covid reconstruction is remotely possible without the government being seen to tackle corruption, especially corruption by untouchable, politically connected ANC cadres, political capitalists and tenderpreneurs. Corruption that is not dealt with destroys the credibility of the government and encourages corruption across society.

The rule of law is fundamental. The rule of law must apply to everyone equally. The rule of law cannot just be applied to ordinary citizens. The politically connected cannot be exempt from the law, as has been the case since the end of apartheid. Neither should there be untouchables who appear to be above the law, such as minibus taxi drivers and bosses, gangsters and building hijackers.

The poor, vulnerable and marginalised must always be cared for. Without this principle, there will be no post-Covid economic reconstruction.

The Covid-19 crisis offers a fresh opportunity to fix SA’s broken governance model. Without fixing the broken governance model, a new equitable, inclusive and peaceful society is not possible.

• Gumede is associate professor in the School of Governance at Wits University, and author of Restless Nation: Making Sense of Troubled Times (Tafelberg)