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South Africa requires a new forum for a dialogue where all the parties go into that engagement with an open mind and ready to concede something and to take away something that will enable them to sell to their constituencies.
This is the message from Sipho Pityana, chairperson of Izingwe Capital Limited and the Save SA convenor.
Speaking at the annual Serious Social Investing conference at the Wits Business School, Pityana focused on the need for an open dialogue and how that has deteriorated.
“One of the reasons why we have become such a litigious society in the Jacob Zuma era is that we’ve become an adversarial society in terms of government-civil society relations.”
Describing his appointment to public service in the early days of democracy, Pityana said his interview panel was made up of a representative from business, labour and government.
“Now you have a system that says ‘I like the colour of your nose and I like your political disposition and therefore I am going to put you in a role’ even if you are not suited to it.”
Citing new police minister, Fikile Mbalula, and his “misguided enthusiasm” when he said police should “fight fire with fire”, and the Sassa debacle as examples of government’s failure in not willing to listen, Pityana said that it seemed as though government was saying “I am government, I will tell you what to do, and you will do as I tell you.”
Read: Mbalula’s ‘fight fire with fire’ comments.
Peppering his talk with his experience in government and how widespread consultation was a hallmark of the then government, Pityana seemed to subtweet his own party, the ruling ANC. Mentioning that when he was in the labour department, funds were set up for civil societies because that was how “willing government was to assist this sense of social dialogue and engagement ... that we were prepared to spend money to ensure that there is enablement.”
Not one to be content with subliminal messages, Pityana made sure in the question and answer session to clarify the “reality” of it all: “We have a corrupt leader, who is about serving his interests, those of his family members and those of his cronies.”
Asked why President Zuma’s advisers do not advise him to do the right thing and step down, Pityana painted a picture of an ANC pre-1994, that had vision to see freedom at any cost, and one that was engrossed the politics of patronage, where proximity to the organisation meant benefits for the individual.
Pityana implored South Africa to wake up because “this country is in trouble, its president is captured, as a consequence his organisation, the ANC, is captured and so is the country”.
The Save SA campaign will be marching in Pretoria on Friday. The gathering starts at Church Square in Pretoria at 10am. All are welcome to join, said Pityana.
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