I’m currently in South Africa and they’ve just had a general election. The fifth democratic election since the end of apartheid in 1994. The ANC party is to remain in power as it has done since ’94, but with its lowest majority ever.
There are many serious issues in SA at the moment concerning education & health services, housing and essential supply services, corruption and theft within government and local authorities, and the serious/violent crime rate is one of the highest in the world.
After 20 years of democracy, when asked why millions of people still live in squatter camps, why over 3 million people don’t have access to electricity, why if you go to a government hospital you have to take your own clean sheets and food, the government say that there hasn’t been enough time yet since the end of apartheid to fix these things. Hopefully for the millions of people who live in such awful conditions, 25 or 30 years will have “been enough time” and they will have access to the basic services – clean running water and electricity. It will be a step in the right direction if the government and local authorities can stop “losing” money. Last year alone 32 billion rand was unaccounted for.
Meanwhile, the masses have spoken. They are apparently happy enough with things as they are to remain loyal to the ANC.