Whoever tries to sugarcoat the situation in South Africa had to be heavy at work in the last days. Figures released by various institutions showed the decay of the South African society on so many levels.
The official unemployment rate is 32.6%, the expanded unemployment rate is 46.3% in the first quarter of 2021. More than 18 million people living constantly on a government grant – the tax base is shrinking constantly because of immigration and the inability of government to tax the informal sector and some other industries in the appropriate way.
Crime statistics for the first quarter of the year record 5701 people being murdered – a figure which paints a grim picture of violence in this country. Rape is also up; alone in Gauteng, 9 518 rape cases in three months were recorded. And this is only the reported figures.
Teenage pregnancies are up, and the published report shows around 1000 of such reported pregnancies of girls in the age group between 10 – 14 years within a year.
There is no real leadership in the country – the avoidance tactics of President Cyril Ramaphosa at the Zondo Commission to account for failures; his insistence of the necessity and normality of cadre deployment which was demonstrated again in appointing tainted Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqabule as the speaker of the House gives little hope that this might change in the near future.
The education system in the country produces many matriculants without any proper general knowledge, the output of the education system often produces alumni who are not employable. The BEE system serves not really a purpose in the current form and shape.
The list of woes is certainly longer – and one could fall into deep despair looking at the shape and prospect of South Africa. I guess the only way out is to be honest and clear about the situation, raising respectfully but forcefully the realities, and to start in earnest to tackle the problems by concentrating on two two essential pillars of every society: health and education. And when I talk about health, I also mean the mental health of a society.
Giving up on 58 million people only because of government failure is not in option. Civil society has to take the lead, NGO’s have to come much more to the table and synergies have to be created between those existing capable and willing government officials and those within civil society joining hands and hearts to get it right.
There will be no fix in short time – it is a long and thorny way. But if we don’t start now, the next generation will once again be defrauded of all the opportunities needed for a healthy, prosper society.
Filed under: Africa, Reflection, Society and living environment, South Africa, Uncategorized, Government, hope, murder, NGO, rape, south africa, unemployment
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