THE NEXT TIME ONE PARTY RULE WORKS WILL BE THE FIRST:

To address issues of inequality, the ANC-led government introduced the policy of Black Economic Empowerment (BEE), which was designed to redress racial imbalance in the country's economy. Its intention was to enhance the participation of Blacks in the economy by providing employment equity, skills development and preferential procurement. Twenty-eight years later, some South Africans argue that BEE is an irrelevant policy because it only serves the interests of politically connected individuals.

"The ANC failed to transform our economy so that everyone can benefit. The generation after Mandela are narrow-minded and only focus on their own political faction, own color and ethnic group interests. BEE only serves a certain section of the chosen few," laments the South African economist and political scientist, William Gumede. Gumede told New Lines that the ANC was not ready to govern after the fall of apartheid because it was only experienced in opposing its oppressors and not in governing a complex country.

"Blacks were not part of the economy during apartheid, so they did not have the skill set. The ANC kicked out almost all the whites with the skills from government positions. They then appointed their loyalists, who did not have a clue," Gumede concludes.

The leader of the United Democratic Movement, Bantu Holomisa, who headed the Republic of Transkei from 1987 to 1994 (an enclave created by the apartheid government for Blacks), told New Lines that South Africa prospered during the first 10 years after abolishing apartheid because Mandela accommodated all interest groups, as he was interested in unity. "When he left, there were already signs that the comrades didn't want to make use of other people they didn't know, no matter how experienced they were," said Holomisa. "The ANC wanted to use this transformation as a license to loot and they have looted on a massive scale, and they appointed their inner circle who are now their gatekeepers."

One of the leaders in the sprawling township of Orange Farm, however, feels that Mandela and the ANC failed Black people at the onset of negotiations with the apartheid government. "They made a lot of compromises and didn't consult the grassroots. They rushed to discuss democracy and reconciliation before justice and restitution," Richard Makolo told New Lines. "Now most Blacks are poor and have nothing to show for their freedom."

A damning recent report by the World Bank, released in 2022, reveals that inherited circumstances, such as location, gender, age and parental background, explain some of the inequality in South Africa. Ten percent of the population owns more than 80% of the wealth. Introducing race into the analysis further exacerbates the inequities.

"South Africa, the largest country in the Southern African Customs Union (SACU), is the most unequal country in the world, ranking first among 164 countries," the report said. The World Bank's stunning conclusion is a far cry from Mandela's aspirations when he walked out of Victor Verster Prison and spoke of ending inequality.

"There must be an end to white monopoly on political power, and a fundamental restructuring of our political and economic systems to ensure that the inequalities of apartheid are addressed and our society thoroughly democratized," Mandela asserted.

Four years after Mandela's release, the ANC won a landslide victory and emerged as the most successful political party in the 1994 elections. South Africans believed the ANC would deliver on its promises of a "better life for all." The party went on to win five successive general elections. Now, three decades later, the ANC's popularity is waning due to the broader crisis of governance.

In the 2022 local government elections, the ANC won fewer than 50% of their races for the first time since democratic rule began. This disillusionment of its supporters continues to grow as local municipal governance deteriorates. Service-delivery protests are common around the country because the government fails to distribute resources such as water, sanitation, infrastructure, housing and land.

"We've got a party that is losing support and I don't think they will get 50% of the vote in the 2024 national election. I seriously see a coalition government in the offing," Steve Gruzd, head of the African Governance and Diplomacy Program at the South African Institute of International Affairs, predicted in an interview with New Lines.

While the ANC is still the largest party in South Africa, its hegemony has most likely ended. "Never again shall we put all our eggs in one basket. Away with one-party dominance. It has shown that it breeds corruption," said Holomisa.

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