Cape Town - Far-reaching transformation in education and labour relations, and scrapping race-based policies that hamper rather than affirm the “previously disadvantaged”, are among measures needed to give the born-free generation the chance of a better life.
This is the gist of a comprehensive study, “Born Free But Still In Chains – South Africa’s first post-apartheid generation”, released this week by the SA Institute of Race Relations.
The study says half the country’s population today is made up of born frees – people born after 1990 – and that while many have flourished, most are jobless, poorly educated and politically alienated.
The report notes wide differences within the born free generation of 27 million.
“Many black born frees live in middle-class households: all of the higher living standards categories bar the very top one are now dominated by blacks.
“Many black children attend excellent schools: most of the pupils in the best state schools and in independent schools are now black.
“Infant mortality rates are dropping and life expectancy is rising.”
But there are high rates of HIV/Aids infection, poor schooling, “extraordinarily high” unemployment, and “clear signs of alienation” from a democratic political system which has failed to provide the majority with decent schooling, job training (and) access to the labour market.
“These factors may help to explain why so much politics in South Africa takes place not via the formal political process but on the streets, in the form of what are sometimes called ‘service delivery’ protests.”
The report says unless the grave deficiencies of our socio-economic condition “are dealt with, politics may well continue to manifest itself more in disruption and violence than through formal structures”.
While acknowledging the damage done by apartheid, the report says all the study’s data and analysis “combine to show that born frees are now trapped much more by other factors: low economic growth, high crime, poor education, few opportunities for skills training, labour law which raises barriers to entry into the labour market, and racial preferencing legislation – which may be designed to give them a leg up, but which often operates in practice as a leg-iron”.
These needed to be addressed to neutralise threats that continued economic exclusion may… present to the rule of law, stability, and democratic institutions”.
The report recommends:
* Parties mobilise born frees in promoting reform in local government to root out corruption and nepotism; make councillors accountable to local electorates rather than party headquarters; ensure appointments are made on merit, not race; and that technical and other officials not be appointed according to political allegiance.
* Government priorities be shifted to stimulate higher growth, which would, in turn, lessen the temptation among jobless, hopeless born frees to enter a life of crime.
* The growing independent school movement should be encouraged, and, instead of impeding successful suburban government schools, the government should concentrate its efforts on improving many dysfunctional government schools.
* Labour policy reform should be aimed at encouraging employment – ditching the idea of a minimum wage, reducing union power.
* All racial legislation should be repealed and racial preferencing policies abandoned. The report adds: “The main objection… is that they reinforce a sense of victimhood and entitlement.”
Some statistical highlights from the report
* Born-frees (people born in/or after 1990) number 27 million and constitute half the country’s population.
* Having lost one or both of their parents, some 3.24 million of the country’s 18.57 million children are orphans.
* Only 40 percent of boys, and 49 percent of girls born this year can expect to survive to their 65th birthday.
* Of the 1.09 million born-frees who need antiretroviral treatment, 25 percent are receiving it.
* More than 61 percent of children receive child support grants from the state.
* A third of children aged between 15 and 19 live in households where no one is employed.
* Unemployment among male born-frees of working age (including discouraged workers) is running at 67 percent, and75 percent among females.
* South Africa accounts for 0.77 percent of the world’s population, but 1.9 percent of its youth unemployment.
* A third of African toddlers attend early childhood development centres, whereas nearly half of white toddlers do.
Weekend Argus