Vika Khumalo | The price of South Africa’s success

One of the most powerful and enduring quotes on success is by Winston Churchill: “Success is not final, failure is not fatal, it is the courage to continue that counts.”

Nothing succeeds like success. South Africa, as one of the last entrants in the community of independent and free nations, has witnessed a string of successes and failures in the pursuit of creating a better life for all its citizens.

Although this seems like an ever elusive goal, no one wants to give up on this beautiful nation. The spirit and determination of its citizens is unequalled. This is a nation that refuses to give up on itself.

Local Government Elections

Thirty years of freedom from the jaws of apartheid has made South Africa more resilient and also very vulnerable. The seventh local government elections will be held November 4, 2026. These elections will be a testament of true commitment to a democratic process in this country. The past six local government elections were a runaway success. Probably that’s why the November 4 elections have produced so many new political parties and independent candidates.

READ: IEC says ballots will be crowded due to high number of contestants

Mushrooming of new parties

Do not be deceived by the multiplicity of independent candidates and political parties that will contest these elections. It is a
misnomer to assume that this is a shining example of a truly democratic process since most of these political parties are splinter groups of the big ones.

Be that as it may, this is an indication of how tolerant and open the political system has become. A clear sign of how South Africa has politically opened up. The system allows us all to jostle, cheek by jowl for political accommodation. It’s very vibrant. It’s abrasive.

Some people argue that such a plethora of political parties doesn’t necessarily advance our political agenda. They point out that this is a democracy oxymoron, i.e. failure that poses as success. The chipping away of the old and traditional political parties, it must be said, doesn’t take away the fabric of our democratic institutions. One can even argue that it in fact buttresses them. The new political parties are very much determined to make their mark in local government.

One wonders how many political parties would make our democracy more matured. Is it not a serious failure in our part to continue producing so many splinter groups that lead to weaker governance at all levels? We have all seen how dysfunctional some of our municipalities are. They are nowhere closer to creating a better life for all South African citizens. Some of them have made life impossible for their voters by failing to deliver even the basic services like portable water, good sanitation, electricity access and infrastructure for the electorate. They have perfected the looting culture.

Rampant corruption

The question is how do we create a balance between a democratic system of government that truly works for all its citizens and seriously tackles rampant corruption in all spheres of government. The mothballed Zondo Commission made a sterling attempt to clean up, but for some reason did not deliver a sledge hammer punch as expected. The jury is still out on whether or not some of its findings and recommendations will ever see the light of day.

Our hopes now heavily hang on the Madlanga Commission which seems to have injected a sense of direction in our criminal justice system. Its teeth are really sharp and its commissioners and evidence leaders very incisive. All the doubting Thomases must be happy with Mkhwanazi’s revelations of a collapsing system.

READ: Madlanga calls for disciplinary action against Lt-Gen Shadrack Sibiya

Lieutenant General Mkhwanazi

The point is, for all the successes we have notched as a nation, we have also scored many own goals. General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi’s July 6 media briefing is another shining example of a nation pulling itself out of an abyss. Were it not all the resilience and indefatigable spirit South Africans have, the failures would have long stopped us from trying to weed out all the bad and the ugly in our criminal justice and political systems. Notwithstanding all the other coveted successes, this nation continues stumble and rise every time.

So for us as a nation, success will never be final and failure will never be fatal. We will continue to rise and reach for the stars.

Vika Khumalo is is a seasoned diplomat who has served South Africa in major international postings for over two decades.

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