Ruminations on the end of deference and respect

Aweh dearly beloved fellow ruminants & groupies

 108/265 days of load shedding in 2022

As I start writing this week’s blog on Tuesday, we have stage 5 load shedding from 18h00 to 22h30 and the power has been off for 8 hours in the last 24 hours. Over the last couple of months and weeks, there has been a lot more open criticism of the ANC government and it is becoming less deferential. A rock was thrown into the pond when Rob Hersov who comes from a wealthy South African family made a speech on Biznews. It is perhaps fair to characterise his speech as a rant and its title was, “ANC voetsek!”. For those of you not familiar with the South African vernacular voetsek is an offensive Afrikaans term often used to shoo away animals. There is no direct English translation but “piss off dog” will suffice.

In terms of substance and thoughtful analysis this speech was lacking but in terms of provoking a reaction, it was extremely successful. It has also been divisive. The Hersov family made their fortune in the mining industry starting in the Apartheid era and the character assassination of Rob Hersov was immediate and brutal.  But rather than trying to deconstruct the content of his speech, it is worth thinking about why this speech has created such a reaction. It has undoubtedly touched a raw nerve. South Africans from all walks of life are becoming increasingly angry about what is happening in the country because the country is deteriorating and regressing. Long periods of load-shedding accompanied by the now familiar background drone of a thousand generators are a visceral daily reminder of this.

Rob Hersov is however not the only person speaking out. At the same Biznews conference the scholar and writer R.W. Johnson made an impassioned speech which is carefully reasoned and thought out. It provides historical context together with many facts and he convincingly argues it is indisputable that South Africa is regressing. This speech has not created nearly the same amount of outrage. Both these men speaking out are ageing white men, like me but the growing criticism is by no means reserved for ageing white men. One needs to go no further than the Zondo reports and black scholars like William Gumede amongst others are highly critical of the ANC policy of cadre deployment and resultant corruption. In a recent interview on SABC news, he lays the blame for the current electricity crisis on cadre deployment and corruption.  Former ANC ministers like Trevor Manuel are openly critical of cadre deployment.  What does cadre mean? This definition is perhaps useful, “a cell of indoctrinated leaders active in promoting the interests of a revolutionary party”. The cadres foster the interests of the ANC party and facilitate self-enrichment and corruption at the expense of the country and the poor. The evidence that this is happening is now overwhelming.

One can argue that the concept of cadre deployment has now become so entrenched in the culture of the ANC that it is now one of the defining features of the party. People become cadres of the ANC for self-enrichment and to join an inner circle looking after themselves at the expense of the country and everyone else.  If this is what the party is, then it is easy to understand why it will defend cadre deployment because dismantling cadre deployment will cause the party to unravel. You cannot be a loyal ANC member and advocate to dismantle cadre deployment because loyalty to the ANC is about cadre deployment. One can use the analogy from the animated movie, Nemo, where my namesake the shark, Bruce, tries to become a vegetarian but he fails miserably because he is a shark. Public anger and people speaking out are generally ignored by the ANC and instead promises are made to become a vegetarian in the future. If you speak out in a disrespectful way or use offensive language, then that becomes the issue rather than the substance of your criticism.

What level of deference should you display when talking publicly about ANC government officials?  Hierarchical organisations thrive on being deferential to their leaders. For big businesses fostering a good relationship with the government is important. Having an adversarial relationship with the government can be very bad for the company and a business leader’s primary responsibility is to look after the interests of the business. The proposed national health insurance fund (NHI) is an interesting example. Apart from the affordability issue of NHI if one were to assume that cadre deployment, self-enrichment and corruption were to become central features of the NHI then one can expect the destruction of the private healthcare system in South Africa. Does Adrian Gore the leader of Discovery, the largest private health care insurer, speak out about NHI. Very carefully, deferentially and in a nuanced way. Is that the smart way to do it? Perhaps it is.

Slowly but surely the voting public is cottoning on to the reality of what the ANC is. The ANC has a very proud historical legacy of bringing apartheid to an end, but the halo has slipped, and the party has steadily been losing support. The upcoming election in 2024 will be fiercely contested and the possibility of the ANC not achieving a majority is a reality. The ANC has already lost control of the big cities in South Africa. In Johannesburg, where I live, the ANC was pushed out in 2021 and we now have an unstable coalition of 9 opposition parties tenuously clinging to power. Are things better? Difficult to say. Fixing the mess that is in Johannesburg is a mammoth undertaking that will take many years. Many ANC cadres are still employed in the municipality. Will the coalition last? The infighting is epic. This morning I received a message from our town councillor that the Johannesburg roads agency (JRA) is no longer fixing holes in the road caused by Johannesburg Water fixing burst pipes which are a weekly occurrence. So massive holes remain in the road for six months or more.  So much for the coalition government. Is this where the country might be heading with coalition governments?

What do I think? Should I be deferential? Is the opinion of another ageing privileged (not as privileged as Rob Hersov) nonentity umlungu relevant? Of course not. Perhaps, in a deferential way, we should ask the ANC ever so politely if it is perhaps not time for them to retire from politics disband the ANC after a job well done and give someone else a chance. They have had a glorious run and liberated the country but now it’s time to move on. This should be directed at the National Executive Committee of 86 members. The rest don’t matter. Very generous severance packages plus tasteful customised Bentleys for their dedicated service over decades are in order. Perhaps an average of R400 million ($22.6 million) each is fitting and appropriate.  A magnificent send-off over three days which will make the Gupta wedding look cheapskate is called for. At the televised gala banquet the severance packages can be handed over in custom-made leather couches stuffed with hundred-dollar bills.

What would come after that? I leave that question to you dearly beloved readers.

Thank you for all the ideas and comments. I really appreciate them and please keep them coming.

Regards

Bruce