It has been a landmark year for South Africa, crowned by our general elections of May 29 in which the ANC lost its majority in parliament. Toppled from its perch by an electorate tired of false promises, social decay, slow growth and rampant unemployment, the ANC’s vote total dropped to about 40%.
Dire predictions of what might happen if the party of liberation lost its majority failed to materialise, and in a scramble to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, the ANC entered into a government of national unity (GNU) with 10 opposition parties. But it was only with the votes of the DA that Cyril Ramaphosa was elected president for a second term.
In typical South African fashion, what could have been a calamity was repackaged as a GNU that would revive the spirit of co-operation and political goodwill that had animated the Codesa process more than 30 years before. Yet seven months later, it is not easy to identify how the GNU has contributed to building the better life for all that most of us want, or how it will do so in the future. That said, it’s about the best we can do for now.
Not surprisingly, radical elements in the body politic, including the ANC’s alliance partners, have demonstrated a lukewarm acceptance of the new political deal, characterising it as “selling out” to the liberation project. However, the markets gave their approval, with the JSE and the rand performing strongly since, assisted by rate-cutting in the US.
While the elections produced a moderate-inclined ruling coalition, the gains made by former president Jacob Zuma’s MK Party highlighted the dangerous potential of ethnic chauvinism when combined with a populist message that trades on people’s hopes by slandering the status quo as something short of “true liberation”. The MK Party’s performance left the EFF as the fourth-biggest party, with Julius Malema’s franchise rocked by desertions.
In Gauteng, a coalition government headed by premier Panyaza Lesufi resisted the GNU path, instead cobbling together a coalition that keeps the DA at arm’s length, offering itself as a template for what a left-leaning coalition may look like.
Fortunately for South Africa and the GNU, other factors lifted the national mood. Among these were cuts in interest rates, a stronger rand, the end of load-shedding and the slightly better performance from Transnet. It is doubtful whether these positive factors would have emerged in the absence of the new spirit of pragmatism that lies behind the GNU.
Gone are the spectacular bailouts for ailing state-owned enterprises, as a new sense of prudence and realism has taken hold. Our sports people, led by the Springboks, also played their part in lifting the national mood. On the international stage, South Africa punched above its weight — arguing the case for genocide before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) — a move that awoke awareness of the tragedy that unfolded in Gaza as Israel sought revenge for the October 7 2023 attacks.
It has been a tough year, which drew on the resources and patience of all. The worst didn’t happen, and perhaps the best still lies ahead of us
Later, South Africa took over the leadership of the Group of 20 bloc, putting the country and the rest of the continent at the centre of the Global South’s battle on climate change and other developmental issues.
Crime remained a constant threat as an underfunded and listless police force battled to curb outrages. A mass shooting in Lusikisiki in the Eastern Cape that claimed 18 lives highlighted how little value is placed on life by criminal elements, while gender-based violence hogged headlines even as efforts to limit it proved mostly futile. In the latest case, a man hanged himself from a tree after killing his girlfriend and putting it on Facebook. The number of comments along the lines that the poor woman actually deserved her fate, suggest we have a long way to go on this front.
In respect of economic crimes, the country’s most notorious white-collar crook, Markus Jooste, took his own life, but the millions lost by investors will never be recovered. State capture cases remained conspicuous by their absence from our courts.
Sadly, the country lost some towering figures in the public sphere, notably Pravin Gordhan and Tito Mboweni, both reasonable voices amid a chorus of populism and instant solutions.
The year 2024 has set the stage for South Africa to finally emerge from the doldrums of state capture, economic paralysis and impunity from the law. It has been a tough year, which drew on the resources and patience of all. The worst didn’t happen, and perhaps the best still lies ahead of us.
As we journey in hope towards 2025, it is an opportune time to reflect on where we are as a nation, and what we as individuals can do to ease our path. And above all, let’s take a few days off to celebrate in the spirit of Christmas goodwill. Or to simply rest and rejuvenate.
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