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10 May 2024 Photo Supplied
Dr Harlan Cloete
Dr Harlan Cloete is a research fellow in the Department of Public Administration and Management at the University of the Free State.

Opinion article by Dr Harlan Cloete, Department of Public Administration and Management, University of the Free State (UFS).


I know that there is great hype around the upcoming national and provincial elections on 29 May, some going as far as calling this our second 1994 – I get that. But I think that we might be making too much of this and forget that what counts is what takes place between elections. For some reason, we seem to think that voting is enough to bring about change, and we can then sit back as citizens and not wait for services to be delivered to us. Or we think that the coalition government will be the saviour. That we have left it to politicians to decide our fate and we simply capitulate to their whims is beyond me. Sometimes I even hear the argument from academics that ‘I do not vote because it will legitimise the current corrupt system’, or ‘I want nothing to do with politics’ – yet politics has everything to do with you, every day.

Performance of municipalities

South Africa is blessed with a three-tier democracy. Constitutional democracy spells out the Bill of Rights and the governance framework. Representative democracy allows the space to elect political leaders through the ballot, and finally participatory democracy calls for active participation between elections. Locally, this is expressed in the co-creation of an integrated development plan with communities and ward committees – real grassroots governance. However, this process has not been without fault, with many officials simply using this process as a tick-box exercise that makes a mockery of genuine participation that would bring dignity to contested spaces.  What is worse is the performance of our municipalities. Let us take the Free State province as an example. As reported by the Department of Cooperative Development, all 23 municipalities in the Free State are deemed dysfunctional. Consequently, it is no wonder that not a single municipality has managed to attain a clean audit from the Auditor General in the past decade. Ratings Afrika earlier reported that the financial situation of the Mangaung Municipality is so dire that it is struggling to pay its suppliers on time; the capital was also rated the worst metropolitan performer in the Good Governance Africa rating for 2023.This is an inditement on the entire local governance system.

Active citizenship

The National Development Plan identifies active citizenship as the key ingredient to ensure that this democracy works. Eve Ensler reminds us that an activist is someone who cannot but help fight for something. That person is usually not motivated by a need for power, money, or fame but is in fact driven slightly mad by some injustice, some cruelty, some unfairness, so much so that he or she is compelled by some internal moral engine to act or make it better.  Through my Great Governance ZA podcast, I found that there is no shortage of active citizens in our country. Over the past three years, I have conversed with more than 100 passionate people. In Bloemfontein, I crossed paths with Boeta Swart – his organisation Anchor of Hope gets the job done; in the Winnie Madikizela municipality, ethical leader Luvuyo Mahlaka runs a tight ship; and youth development champion and author, Frank Julie, generously shares his gifts and talents throughout the land.  There are so many untold stories.

Activists – need I remind you – are not just active during elections but work passionately in concert with others to make the world a better place. The 2024 elections are important, yes, but the watershed election will be the 2026 local government elections when we will elect new ward councillors and ward committees. And coalitions are here to stay, it is a natural consequence of the electoral system, says Prof Jaap de Visser of the Dullah Omar Institute. The Sustainable Development Plan – specifically goal 16 – speak to peace and justice and strong institutions through partnerships (goal 17). Our future is partnerships – coalitions of people with the right heads, hearts, and eager hands. And yes, sometimes we will be tested and called to work with people that we do not like, agree with, or trust as Adam Kahane puts it. But that should not deter us. Democracy is difficult work, a contact sport.

Make an even greater impact

Voting or participation in elections is a first step, but I am afraid this is not enough. As an academic community specifically, we must use our privileged position in society to make an even greater impact, as advocated by the late Prof Bongani Mayosi, who argues that what matters most is service to society.

The National Development Plan concludes that a comprehensive, coordinated, multi-sectoral approach to development is required. Such an approach must include partnerships between civil society, the private sector, government, and academia. To make this coalition work will require buckets of good(will) and activism. We are on the brink of the new. God helps us as we do and dare.

*Dr Harlan Cloete is a pracademic and research fellow in the Centre for Gender and Africa Studies at the University of the Free State. He is the founder of the Great Governance ZA podcast and founder member of community radio KC107.7 in Paarl in 1996.

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News Archive

UFS intensifies its advocacy on humanity and solidarity to Japan
2011-03-08

Staff and students from our university, marching for humanity
Photo: Stephen Collett

Staff and students from the University of the Free State (UFS) representing various associations and student bodies, together with Kovsie supporters, braved the cold and wet weather yesterday (17 March) as they embarked on a march for humanity. This occurred just two days after an urgent meeting had been called by the Dean of Student Affairs, Mr Rudi Buys to create a platform for students to deliberate on mechanisms to be used in supporting Japan, which is facing immense challenges, thereby responding to their unfortunate current situation. It is also a day after the direct conversation between the UFS and the South African ambassador to Japan, Mr Gert Grobler, a Kovsie alumnus.

The visibly spirited group started their march from the Main Building on the UFS Main Campus in Bloemfontein. Within minutes the Callie Human Centre – assembly point for the participants – was occupied by students and staff members who arrived in their numbers, carrying banners with messages of support for Japan.

Modieyi Motholo, ISC Chairperson, read a memorandum in the presence of more than 300 students. “We, the community of the University of the Free State, as sons and daughters of South Africa and the world, by our very action in this march today, celebrate our shared humanity, declare our solidarity with the people of Japan, and join the movement to build a culture of Human Rights. We declare our commitment to the cause of human dignity and equality, and the promotion of human rights, non-racialism and non-sexism,” read the memorandum. 

“Japan is far; we shall never be able to take the entire Kovsie community there to assist the Japanese in rebuilding their homes. However, we can show our solidarity and raise an awareness for their unfortunate circumstances by our numbers,” Modieyi said.

Mr Buys admitted to being overwhelmed by the united Kovsie community he witnessed standing up for a cause they believed in. On receiving the memorandum on behalf of the UFS management, he stated: “There is a different and new set of values in our student community. We have the best students in the world, driven by a pioneering spirit aimed at building a new society. We have come so far in a short period of time. You deserve recognition as a student population.”

The march was also organised to declare the UFS’s support and solidarity for the people of Japan. The solidarity campaign has further been intensified with the establishment of committees comprising fundraising, research, marketing and awareness, spirituality and volunteers. Nida Jooste, the ISC Vice-Chairperson, said that the research committee was busy conducting a comprehensive study on how the UFS can be of assistance to the Japan. “With the report we will be able to design and implement programmes that will be aligned with the needs of the people of Japan. “In the meantime, we will carry out small projects that will keep the flame of solidarity burning on our campus,” she concluded.

Noticeable amongst the attendees were Mr John Samuels, the current Director of the International Institute for Studies in Race, Reconciliation and Social Justice.

 

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