Publications
Partners
WITH the recent xenophobic violence, increasingly aggressive and racially-tinged debates on all sides, ongoing Eskom, SAA and SABC woes, sobering findings of the SA Institute of Race Relations (67% of young Black men unemployed), poor state of education and stagnant economic growth, it is apparent that we need to do better in this Rainbow nation of ours.
However, rather than join the growing chorus of armchair critics on all sides of the spectrum, who are quick to criticise but slow to offer alternatives and solutions, I propose that South Africa, here and now, needs our own equivalent of the Marshall Plan.
Wikipedia defines the Marshall Plan (officially the European Recovery Programme, ERP) as “an American initiative to aid Europe, in which the United States gave $13bn (approximately $120bn in current dollar value) in economic support to help rebuild European economies after the end of World War II”.
While the long-term economic and financial legacy of the Plan are open to debate, it is generally still viewed in a favourable light, and in fact has entered popular culture as representative of any major economic, political or social overhaul or mass intervention.
Ours is long overdue, twenty or so years in fact, so here goes:
Economic Growth
Government has correctly identified the SMME and SME sectors as the key focus areas for generating the economic growth we need to tackle our unacceptable unemployment figures.
This, coupled with the formation of a dedicated Ministry of Small Business, is a huge step in the right direction, but we need to be bold and do more. Small businesses and entrepreneurs still face an unacceptable amount of regulatory red tape and high costs to establish a business, as well as significant tax burdens.
Additionally, while there is a lot of support available for budding entrepreneurs, the quality is below par and there is far too much dishing out of grants with little or no visible returns for the country.
Similarly, there is an obsession with co-operatives – they sound great in principle but in reality they are unwieldy and seldom succeed, so we should stop giving people money to start them unless there is a very compelling business case to do so.
Finally, if government is serious about creating an enabling environment for small business to flourish, they must be merciless in staffing their Ministry and support organs, such as SEDA, with entrepreneurs and those who have walked the walk.
Education
Access to quality education is the cornerstone of every successful economy. We are spending a lot of money in this area, but we are not getting anywhere near the results we need, as evidenced by our appalling maths and science literacy and general poor quality of schooling.
We need to funnel far more energy and resources into the quality of our foundation-phase schooling, so that we lay a proper platform for young learners to build upon. We need to be much more demanding of our teacher capabilities, and we need to ensure that our pupils have the resources they need, when they need them – especially text books.
As for tertiary education, while it would be fantastic to have free access to quality tertiary education for all, we are not in a position to offer that right now. So let’s suck it up, stop toyi-toying and accept that if you want to further your education, you will probably need to work your ass off for years to pay off a student loan, just like myself and millions of others from all backgrounds have done before; not because we were special or privileged or different, but because we accepted that most basic of life equations – what you put in, is what you get out.
Crime
We are all sick of crime. It pervades every element of our society and knows no colour, affecting communities both rich and poor, black and white. We have seemingly created a culture where criminals are not afraid of the might of the law, because the law is not mighty.
We need to pay our police properly at the rank-and-file level, so that they are not tempted into corrupt behaviour just to survive.
We also need to sort out our courts – the turnaround time from arrest to conviction is completely unacceptable, adding unnecessary expense and leading to far too many bad people being set free. We are more obsessed with transforming the judiciary, than we are with getting criminals off our streets.
I propose no bail for people accused of murder, rape, hijacking and other serious crimes – how often do we read of people out on bail committing more offences?
I also propose mandatory life sentences for murder, rape and hijacking that actually get enforced – we have the laws in place, but do not implement them properly – why?
Finally, our communities need to start being more proactive and less tolerant of criminals. I am not suggesting mob violence, but the fact is that every person who harbours a criminal, pays a bribe, buys stolen property, turns a blind eye to illicit activities, or benefits directly or indirectly from crime, is no better than a crook themselves. Let’s adopt a policy of zero tolerance, and turn this tide.
Politics & governance
Our political sphere is in a mess right now. It seems like he who shouts loudest, wins. Have we forgotten that the purpose of a government is to serve the nation and its people first and foremost? Where is the accountability?
I propose that politicians and those in a position of influence who are found to have abused that position in any way, regardless of which party they represent, are treated more harshly than ordinary members of the public who commit similar crimes.
Suspending corrupt officials on full pay while investigations drag on for years is an additional slap in the face of the people they are supposed to be serving.
On another note, what’s with all the arrogance and attitude amongst public servants, starting with the rude lady at the licensing department and going all the way up to the Cabinet and beyond? Did these people forget that they work for us? As taxpayers, we really do pay your salaries, so park that entitlement, put a smile on your face and do the job you are paid for.
Race relations
Sadly, we are a nation still obsessed with race, over two decades after the fall of a system that had race as the core divider of our people. More worryingly, we are far too quick to give a platform to extremists on either side of the race debate, from poo-flingers and bigots like Malema and Shivambu to head-in-the-sand pseudo nationalists like Dan Roodt and Steve Hofmeyr.
In truth, most South Africans I come across are not consumed with hatred for other races. We get on, we hang out, we often even like each other, warts and all. And yet we allow race to be rammed down our throats as a divisive and distractionary tactic time and again, whether to assert superiority and further a narrow political agenda, or to avert attention from the real issues at play.
Strategies such as BEE and affirmative action may be necessary in the short term, to level the playing field and encourage late adopters to embrace the fact that we are actually living in a new South Africa, but the sooner we get to a place where we can move beyond the need for such policies and embrace a culture that celebrates and rewards excellence above all else, the better for all of us.
Let’s not be fooled and distracted by one-trick ponies waving the race card to further their own agenda, whatever colour they come in.
Poverty & unemployment
A tough nut to crack, this one. There is a line from a Skunk Anansie song that goes “The poorer you are the better, that gives me more control,” and while only the most diehard conspiracy theorists would claim that this is what is going on in our land, it is clear to all that there is an element of patriarchy and manipulation in terms of our whole social grant system and how it is used.
Instead of expanding this system and the burden it places on the State by increasing the age of dependents, for example, we should be assisting more people to become productive members of society through meaningful and sustainable job opportunities.
The Expanded Public Works Programme is a great idea, and if properly implemented could provide relief to thousands of unemployed young people. But let’s be a bit more strategic around its implementation, and a bit more demanding as to the quality of work opportunities provided, and work outcomes delivered. Paying people to stand around and wave red flags on the side of the road while their colleagues chill out, is not the most efficient use of resources. We need to do better.
So there you have it, a draft Marshall Plan for our country. I know it is simplistic, I know our problems and their possible solutions are far more complex than any article can address, but maybe it is time to zoom out the lens a bit, to be bold, brave and forward-thinking, and to take concrete, action-based steps to start tackling some of our biggest challenges.
We have had enough imbizo’s, committees, debates, fact-finding exercises and grand strategies designed to look at ways to solve our challenges to last a lifetime. We need some action.
*Anton Ressel is a business strategist, social commentator and writer as well as the founder and Director of ARC Consulting, a small business specialist agency that offers mentorship, support and other services to entrepreneurs and emerging businesses nationally. See www.antonressel.co.za for more info.
