Last night I caught just a snatch of it, an interview with an ancient black lady living in one of the squatter towns (informal settlements). She spoke very honestly and frankly, having lived through apartheid, change and now 10 years of democratic government.
She says that in spite of all those promises made 10 years ago, nothing's changed. Not on ground-level. They still struggle to get their kids through high school, only to have them wandering the streets, unemployed. The promise of millions of jobs - not fulfilled. They still live in tiny houses constructed from leftover roofing, wood, whatever's lying around. The promises of new houses for everyone - not fulfilled. Crime still runs rampant, my grandfather still sleeps with a shotgun under his bed in fear of attack.
It's basic stuff, the stuff every politician gets up and promises. Water for all, housing for all, education for all, land for the landless, a better life for all. And yet it never really materializes. So much so that some are threatening land-invasions like the ones in Zimbabwe... which is VERY scary.
So what's been going on? Why hasn't it happened?
First and foremost is the problem of corruption. Put a guy in power who has had none, give him millions to play with as a budget, and see if he can't resist the temptation to pocket just a little of that overwhelming amount of cash, or wheedle someone out of their land or house, or bribe, or spend, or... Corruption is a major problem in every governing body throughout South Africa, and most of Africa.
Another problem is red tape. Nothing can be done without years of slow-turning wheels. The government departments are notorious for moving at the slowest possible speed to maintain an appearance of progress. Give them a report marked URGENT, and it will finally see the right office years down the line. Give them an idea to make a difference, and they'll file it somewhere for the future. Try do anything and you're faced with numerous forms, regulations, levels of authority to clamour through, referals back and forth - eventually you just give up.
Yet another problem is regulations - they make it hard for self-employed folk to get anywhere or help employ others. Sure, the place is chock-a-block full of street-corner vendors, but I've also seen these same guys chased and beaten up by police for trying to make their cash where regulations say they can't - within a few metres of where regulations say they can.
You have to register this, you have to pay that. One lady went to register her business, the form said "attach money stamps to this value". She did, got to the office of registration, only to be told they no longer accepted this (it was on the form they issued for goodness sake!), she must pay cash. Now she can't get her money stamp cash back, and has had to pay double! There's nothing she can do.
One can get really discouraged by all of the things that HAVEN'T happened, or haven't changed!!!
So, 10 years on, just what is it that's so GOOD about our democracy?
Well, they have given out land to some - slowly. They have built houses for some. Many now have access to clean water. ALL can vote - and it will be a record turnout this year apparently. We have freedom of politics - you can form a party at whim and compete for a government spot. There's (almost) freedom of speech in the media - though one suspects the government twist is applied to things now and then... There's freedom of religion still, and a hope that one day the promises will be fulfilled. We've recognized historical peoples like the San, we've made ourselves 11 official languages to cover all our bases. We've attempted to adjust past discrimination in the workplace (though that created reverse-discrimination). Everyone's almost treated the same.
10 years down the line, South Africa is still basically a good country to be in, warts and all. And if you can't stand the politics, there's always the view! :)
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