The African National Congress was re-elected in South Africa after a fair and honest campaign unmarred by violence. A country which little over a decade ago seemed set to tear itself apart over deep intercommunal rivalries has defied even its own expectations and remained a free and stable society.
The ANC came to power with little experience. The immense moral authority of Nelson Mandela carried it over its early mistakes. When Thabo Mbeki succeeded Mandela in 1999, the government’s touch became notably less sure. Mbeki’s extraordinary refusal to take seriously the rising AIDS pandemic suggested an administration which fondly believed that if a problem were ignored for long enough, it would go away. To his credit, Mbeki has since recovered from this political misjudgment, and as this election result shows his stock has probably never stood higher.
The ANC has had significant achievements. Basic services have been provided to virtually every home. That too many of these homes are still in shanty towns is true, but there is now hardly an urban community which does not have low-cost housing developments. Education has been markedly improved and in a society in which all South Africans are equals career opportunities for young blacks have been hugely boosted. On the debit side, the government has failed to crack down on lawlessness and the gap between rich and poor has widened, not narrowed. Black Empowerment — by which a proportion of business activity was reserved for blacks — has been a qualified success. The initial program failed because of lack of business experience and high-cost capital. The revised arrangements do not seem to be creating enough hands-on owner-managers and there are the inevitable complaints of cronyism and corruption about the allocation of property.
Such allegations underline what is perhaps the greatest danger ahead for the new ANC government. The overwhelming size of its electoral success may seduce ministers and legislators into thinking that they are the natural government and the reins of power are their inalienable property. Big majorities in democracies often breed complacency and sometimes arrogance.
Mbeki and his administration would be wise to recognize that this overwhelming endorsement means that they must actually work even harder to justify the faith of the electorate by turning promises into reality. They should never take voter support for granted. The achievements of the Rainbow Nation and the painful process of truth and reconciliation have been remarkable. The ANC deserves a great deal of credit for enabling that process. But now more mundane issues like economic liberalization, privatization and growth have to be tackled so the ANC can deliver on the promised social changes for the country’s poor.
