SA’s democratic experience reeks of dissatisfaction

REV CHRIS MATHEBULA AND SIPHAMANDLA ZONDI

Democracy is not just systems and procedures that look good but it is the improved experience of people on the ground. For this reason, while democracy in countries like South Africa looks nice and systems are in place, the democratic experience is one of dissatisfaction among the growing number of people on the ground.

This is our reaction to a recently-released study of voter perceptions conducted by the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) on behalf of the Electoral Commission of South Africa as well as the Institut Public de Sondage d'Opinion Secteur- IPSOS South Africa survey on the state of democracy across the world. The latter is global and the former is national, but both convey the same message.

This is the experience of poor service delivery, struggling economy, rising socio-economic inequalities, rising crime and violence, arrogance of authorities, lack of accountability, youth apathy, drug addiction, rife alcoholism, decaying public infrastructure, widespread hunger and poverty, rising costs of living for all, and other ills.

The message is that there is declining trust in democracy and its institutions including the government, parliament and even the judiciary. People across the world and in South Africa are loosing faith in the ability of the political and economic system to deliver a better life for all. They are loosing trust in public institutions that are meant to give them home.

People are growing weary about regularly voting but seeing very little difference in their lives. This is a crisis for all of us. When citizens give up on these systems, society suffers. When citizens start to think whether they vote or not vote would have not bearing on their daily toll, we have a huge problem in our hand.

When the people start to think the government does not matter, that it gives them more problems than solutions, we are heading for a failed state. It is important for us as the Devoted Citizens Movement that active citizenship is the bedrock of a well-functioning society. When democracy is understood as a government of the people by the people, then the people must be actively engaged in governing.

Without this, those who govern may find it easy to swindle all of us knowing that citizens are passive.

It is in the interest of those who want to govern badly that citizens become inactive. It works for the corrupt and incompetent governors for citizens to give up on their role as agents of change in society. Citizens soon realize that their problems grow, their crisis multiply, if they give up their active participation in fixing their country.

For example, we know that if we fail to speak and force our municipality to collect refuse regularly there will soon be rubbish everywhere. If we fail to ask questions about small acts of corruption, soon everyone will be affected by corruption.

If water taps run dry for two days and we do nothing as citizens, soon it will be dry for a week and weeks. The electricity black-out was initially an hour long, one day in a month, now it is a daily experience for hours on end. If two drug addicts appear in our township and we do nothing, soon the streets will be full of drug addicts. If one SOE fails and we do not raise our voices, soon many more will follow suit. When we fail to act on small things, we will be overwhelmed as small problems grow. It just does not help citizens to stand on the sidelines and watch the country go to waste bit by bit.

Citizens must be devoted to their communities enough to raise their voices every time something goes wrong and offer solutions. They have to stand up and be counted. The Devoted Citizens Movement is one of many civil society platforms for citizens who realise that they can do something before the country collapses completely. Concerned public intellectuals also have a role to use their skills in the service of active citizenry.

Active civil society builds communities and society. Political parties can do much especially for their constituencies, but active civil society movements like the Devoted Citizens are a home for all who want to do something outside political parties.

This includes public intellectuals, pastors, artists, entrepreneurs, teachers, nurses etc. Both activists and scholars cannot be spectators in the process of rescuing our communities and society. We cannot watch others try to fix and not contribute in small but significant ways. Someone has a skill they can use for the greater good of society. Someone has facilities and resources to support those who do practical work. Someone has technologies to help this work of active citizenship. Ke Nako! Now is the time! Every devoted citizen must take the destiny of this beautiful country into their own hands. It begins now.

Rev Chris Mathebula, is the founder of the Devoted Citizens Movement.