While the president talks about jobs in his State of the Union address, public anger is simmering beneath the surface.
Jacob Zuma focused on the economy in his State of the Union address, appealing to trade unionists and the poor. [AFP] |
South African President Jacob Zuma's State of the Union Address (SONA) on February 10th focused on a country that continues to struggle with high levels of unemployment and crime, a ruling alliance that continues to show signs of serious discord, and It was aimed at an increasingly restless civil society.
The speech was therefore an acrobatic balancing act, attempting to meet the expectations of a wide range of voters.
SONA leans heavily towards job creation, with President Zuma calling 2011 the “year of job creation”. His trade union allies heard him call for the creation of “decent work” to be at the heart of South Africa's economic life through a range of initiatives to stimulate and encourage job creation in the public and private sectors. You'll be happy.
This includes the establishment of a jobs fund to create new jobs, with $1.2 billion over the next three years to invest in new manufacturing projects and upgrades. It also includes $2.7 billion in tax cuts for companies that do. Existing project.
main focus
Government departments have been asked to fill all public sector vacancies for next year.
Other than the overwhelming focus on national reconciliation in Nelson Mandela's early State of the Nation address, it is difficult to recall a SONA that placed more emphasis on one priority area.
President Zuma also mentioned other government priorities such as crime reduction, education, agriculture and health, which also focused on job creation. The ruling party's emphasis on job creation comes as its closest allies in the trade union movement are vocal critics of the government's economic policies and its dismal failure to create decent and sustainable jobs. It was carried out in the midst of the announcement.
The official unemployment rate of 24.5 percent is almost certainly a conservative estimate, but it's even more disconcerting given that young people are very unlikely to find work in the current economic climate.
And dissatisfaction with the government's performance in terms of employment and service delivery is not limited to the comradely spheres of the ruling coalition. Community protests and worker strikes intensified in South Africa last year. Having shaken off the miracle of hosting a successful soccer World Cup in 2010, South Africans are now focused on delivery and employment.
left behind
Despite all the promises Mr Zuma has made, that goal amid fundamentally conservative economic policies that his main allies, the trade unions, have called “even worse than previous Mbeki policies”. It remains to be seen whether this is possible. President Zuma had previously promised significant job creation, but that has not materialized. It is hard to imagine that stagnant state institutions and an uncooperative private sector could create the kind of jobs we are talking about.
The ruling party, despite all its rhetoric about a shift to the left and a reassertion of the ANC's traditional values, remains wedded to an economic framework that has yielded significant benefits, but little in terms of jobs for ordinary South Africans. It has not been done.
The dilemma for the ANC is whether South Africans will extend their patience any further. The question was posed to Mr Zuma by a public comment member posted on the president's Facebook page and was quoted by him during his speech. Portia Mrwetyana, who lives in an unserved informal settlement across the road from a suburb with all kinds of amenities, said: “Why give us special treatment? Are they giving you the same vote?”
Growing disillusionment with the ruling party is reflected in the number of civil society initiatives rallying around a wide range of socio-economic and political issues. These range from localized protests against poor service delivery and reforms to demonstrations against government plans to introduce media censorship that would restrict the right to access state-held information.
In some cases, these issues have broad social appeal, but in most cases it is the poor black South Africans who are the core of the ruling party's base who are disaffected.
inequality
South Africa is currently one of the most socially unequal societies in the world, and the fact that its wealth remains concentrated in the hands of a few white businesses and a few black people creates the potential for huge outbursts of anger. .
The fact that such outbursts have not yet occurred is due to the fact that the ruling party is viewed with respect by most black South Africans, that there is no reliable organization among the poor, and that most people This can be attributed to the fact that the situation is improving for many. If they fall significantly below the expected level.
The resilience of the ruling alliance is the primary means of managing and containing this anger. Recently, we have seen the trade union movement move towards collaboration with other civil society organizations to establish a united front against poverty and inequality. The ruling party's cautious reaction to this potential restructuring is evidence that trade unions are seen as an important tool that can channel and contain the anger of the poor.
The extent to which he can control this anger for the time being may determine how well Mr Zuma navigates his current tightrope.
David Africa is an independent security analyst based in South Africa. He previously worked in counterterrorism intelligence and research, and worked for the underground organization of South Africa's then-banned African National Congress.
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera's editorial policy.