This pivotal moment demands our leaders transcend petty horse-trading

Millions of South Africans, buoyed by the need to vote and contribute to the direction the country takes, this week endured inclement weather and bureaucratic ineptitude and inefficiencies to make their voices heard.

The outcome, however surprising and inconvenient for some, represents the will of the people. It is democracy at work. But perhaps for the first time in our democratic history, the management of our elections left much to be desired. Almost all the big parties, including the new MK Party, complained about the performance of the Electoral Commission of South Africa, with the DA characterising it as an “omnishambles”.

While the glitches may not cast doubt on the broader election, and whether it was sufficiently free and fair, we are nonetheless displeased at the alarming increase in untoward incidents. It was also disconcerting that hiccups in the systems used by the commission created an impression that the meandering queues, which were prematurely celebrated, were a result of increased voter turnout. In fact, as it transpired subsequently, the long queues were caused by the failure to speedily capture votes. 

Ordinarily, we would suggest the country should consider introducing electronic voting systems along the lines of other innovative democracies.

Nelson Mandela had a majority when he formed the government of national unity in 1994. Our current crop of leaders must humble themselves, for none of them have a majority. 

What is concerning is not merely that the voter turnout of 58.5% is the lowest since the dawn of democracy, but that inefficiencies at some polling stations might have dissuaded a significant number of people from exercising their right to vote because of the hours they would have to spend in queues. Women and students risked life and limb, sitting in queues until late at night, because they were steadfast in their determination to vote. Participating in an election should not require such resolve.

The election results show South Africans have given the ANC a bloodied nose, reducing its majority to less than 50% for the first time since the historic 1994 all-inclusive elections. Citizens sent a stern message about their displeasure with the party’s performance in government. What is clear is that South Africans want leaders who solve pressing national issues such as unemployment, poverty, crime, corruption and other social ills. The message to the party is that the electorate has run out of patience.

But the voters have also ensured that the ANC remains the biggest party. We could say this is an opportunity for reflection for the ANC, to retrace where it lost the plot and contemplate what it needs to do to turn the tide. But while the ANC might be capable of honest reflection, what is missing is the ability to act on its resolutions, most importantly those concerning service delivery and its much-touted “renewal”.

As coalition negotiations get under way this weekend, many will be gripped by a sense of foreboding — given how the loose arrangements between parties have not worked in metro councils in Ekurhuleni, Johannesburg and Tshwane. It is important to foreground values and frameworks that should undergird the negotiations.

First, we must agree with former president Kgalema Motlanthe that parties should seek to prioritise sensible management of Africa’s most modern economy. The parties must eschew economic adventurism that could collapse our economy, cost us jobs and livelihoods. Further, we have a sensitive market economy that requires political stability, a fact we ignore at our own peril.

Second, the centrality of the constitution as the supreme law of our land is sacrosanct. This is not to mean it can’t be amended within reason, as it has been, but any discussion predicated on a need to jettison our constitutional democracy in favour of a parliamentary democracy ought to be resisted. We know too well how a supreme parliament was abused by the apartheid government to pass undemocratic and unjust laws, with calamitous consequences for the country and most of its people.

Third, whatever coalition agreements are entered into ought to address the various grievances that shaped how South Africans voted. Now more than ever, unity of purpose is required to ensure our country develops. A focus on growth and development must be the leitmotif for the seventh administration.

The alternative is that positions and privileges of coalition negotiators take priority over the needs of the people and that little is likely to be accomplished in the next five years. This will mean we have, as a people, not learnt much from the chaos in our hung municipalities. Our democracy, and more specifically the economy, can ill afford such a lackadaisical approach to leadership at a national level.

That voters have not given any party an absolute majority means the adults in all our political parties must lock themselves in a room and negotiate with a single-minded focus on what is in the country’s interests.

Fourth, it would also be helpful if those forming the government are broadly representative of the will of the people. Whether they call it a government of national unity or a coalition agreement matters little — what this moment requires is the maturity of the majority of our political leaders to ensure that the centre holds.

Time is of the essence. The law requires chief justice Raymond Zondo to convene a joint sitting of parliament to elect a president among the 490 parliamentarians. The need to conclude negotiations expeditiously must, however, not trump the importance of agreeing on principles and values. Otherwise, any coalition becomes unstable and imperils all of us.

While the will of the people must be embraced, the challenges the election results have spawned require deftness and a display of will hitherto unseen.

Former president Nelson Mandela had a majority when he formed the government of national unity in 1994. Our current crop of leaders must humble themselves, for none of them have a majority. Managing multiple egos requires maturity and open-mindedness. Whether our politicians will rise to the occasion and show the maturity rarely seen in our politics will become clearer in the next few weeks. Nkosi sikelel’ iAfrika.