He is one of the elder statesmen of Mzansi and when it comes to a GNU Roelf Meyer has seen it all before. He believes the nation might finally be on the right track.
“As South Africa we transitioned from an autocratic to a democratic system in a peaceful manner. I don't think we South Africans always realise how unique that makes us,” Meyer, 76, told the Sunday Times this week. “We are now even more unique because this current government of national unity will give us the opportunity as a nation to start out fresh for the second time. How many other countries can say that?”
Meyer, who served in the governments of three successive presidents (PW Botha, FW de Klerk and Nelson Mandela), was an MP from 1979 until 1997, and again between 1999 and 2000. After resigning from the National Party in 1997, Meyer cofounded the United Democratic Movement with Bantu Holomisa. He returned briefly to parliament between 1999 and 2000 before retiring from front-line politics in January 2000.
Meyer became a household name due to his position as the government's chief negotiator in the Multiparty Negotiating Forum in 1993 after the failure of CODESA, where he established an amicable and effective relationship with the ANC’s chief negotiator, Cyril Ramaphosa. In 1994, president Mandela appointed him as minister of constitutional development and provincial affairs in the multiparty government of national unity. Now, this drama is playing out again before his eyes.
GNU or coalition by any other name?
“The president was very smart in going the GNU route. A coalition is when two or more parties govern by agreement of co-operation. That basically excludes all others. In this case, everybody was invited to the GNU.” Meyer grins: “I am sure in their deepest of hearts both the ANC and the DA hoped that the EFF and MK would not want to be part of the GNU.”
He believes South Africa is in a positive position. “I am happy with the peaceful way everything has gone and the rand and the markets are reacting positively.”
He has a word of warning: “We have to grab this opportunity to fix our country with both hands.” The important thing for the country's leadership, says Meyer, is to “not sit around congratulating each other on a successful election. Now is the time to get to work. We have to prioritise what needs to be done. We have several deeply rooted issues, some of them almost systemic, that we need to fix urgently.”
On crime
“The entire safety and security system needs to be empowered and brought up to standard. The courts, the police — especially crime intelligence — need to be improved. What happened with the riots in KwaZulu-Natal was unacceptable. Crime intelligence should have known these hot spots were flaring up and SAPS (South African Police Service) should have been in place when the trouble started,” Meyer said.
“The police, and therefore also the courts, can only operate optimally on good intelligence. That intelligence gathering capability should be fixed.” He believes this should be addressed at the highest level. “There must be a unit on cabinet level consisting of defence, justice, SAPS, everybody under direct charge of the president.”
Poverty and inequality
“In the previous GNU we focused too much on what our constitution was, instead of what it practically meant on the ground,” Meyer said. “This is an opportunity to do that better. Of course black economic empowerment is important. But how we do it should be examined. Clearly some parts are not working.
In the previous GNU we focused too much on what our constitution was, instead of what it practically meant on the ground. This is an opportunity to do that better
“My late friend, Johan van Zyl of Toyota was busy with a proposal for the president when he died. He believed BBBEE should be based on an equity model. Instead of giving the company to three individuals, bring more profit sharing in. Make everybody enjoy the fruits of their labour and not only a select few. Make everybody part of the value chain.”
Land
“Land ownership has long been a central part of the conversation but the focus has always been on agricultural and rural land. Agricultural land is only worth something if you have the skills, finances and knowledge to farm it. The biggest need is in our cities. We need more people with their own title deeds. Ownership is so important in empowering people,” Meyer said.
“If a man gets a house from the government and dies or has to move, he or his family must be able to sell the property.”
Looking back
“As a nation we were on a good trajectory until about 2010. From there we entered some dark times, but we are busy turning it around again.”
Meyer pauses pensively. “Government needs to address safety and security, but that doesn't only mean crime. There has to be focus on job creation and other ways of breaking down the gap between the haves and the have nots. More money should be spent on people in economic need. More affluent citizens can top up their security and medical needs themselves.”
After leaving politics in 2000, Meyer pursued business interests. “I was involved in business until 2012. Then another new chapter started with the In Transformation Initiative.”
Meyer is married to Michele and the couple have three remaining biological children and three stepchildren after tragedy struck at the turn of the century. “We lost our daughter Annerine in a car accident in 2002. It was a terrible blow but we survived. We have eight grandchildren now.”
But the former minister does not have a lot of time to play with his grandkids. “I am the director of the In Transformation Initiative. We assist and guide countries going through transformation by using our South African story as an example.
“We don't tell people what to do, we tell them what we did,” Meyer said. “We share our story and give advice but we do not mediate. Otherwise they depend on us and do not walk their journey themselves.”
In a shifting and complex world, Meyer and his team have been busy. “We are continuously involved in several countries, but to give you an idea, in the last five months we received groups from Yemen, Myanmar, Palestine and Cameroon.”
What important lesson learnt on this journey is applicable to the South Africa of today?
“You need holistic approaches to problem solving. Everything has a source, problems too. If you do not know the source of a problem, you will never be able to fix it and only keep busy fighting the symptoms.”
