The New South Africa

By Barry Moody

Nelson Mandela celebrates his 90th birthday on Friday as a widely revered statesman, but South Africa faces a host of problems that challenge the dream he embodies of a harmonious rainbow nation.

Mandela, imprisoned for 27 years but forgiving of his former captors, is hailed as a shining example of the power of forgiveness and reconciliation.

His smile and sense of humour have made him a treasured international icon. He is rare among African leaders in agreeing to give up power quickly, after only one term subesequent to the end of apartheid.

He transcends races and opinions in South Africa itself, acclaimed by all sides of society including the whites whose rule he fought to overthrow.
Yet his birthday comes at a time of crisis in the country under the rule of his successor, Thabo Mbeki, widely attacked for failures in fighting HIV and Aids, poverty, a major power crisis, violent crime and the disaster in neighbouring Zimbabwe.

Describing how Mbeki was hailed when he became president, Financial Mail editor Barney Mthombothi wrote this week: "Needless to say, their prince has turned out to be a frog."

He added: "Mandela united the country. Mbeki has divided it...It's sad to see the current lot trashing his legacy."

Some analysts say the idea that Mandela represented a golden age of hope now betrayed is false.

"The first time I heard a claim from a journalist that Mandela's dream had been dashed was the beginning of 1995. It is part of a knee jerk reaction to this kind of situation," said Professor Steven Friedman of Rhodes University.

But there is no doubt the euphoria of Mandela's rule has evaporated.

Many South Africans, especially the more educated, are leaving for other countries and others are talking about it.

A leaked research report commissioned by the government shows that 36 percent of the population are no longer committed to the country and 29 percent are considering emigration, the weekly Mail & Guardian newspaper reported.

South Africa suffers some of the worst violent crime outside a war zone, especially in the Gauteng region around Johannesburg. The country has the world's highest HIV caseload.

Mbeki is accused by trade unions and the leftwingers in his own ruling African National Congress (ANC) of business-friendly policies that have delayed bringing the fruits of black rule to the legions of poor. Unemployment stands at around 23 percent.

Growth in Africa's biggest economy is endangered by a power crisis that has robbed vital platinum and gold mines of electricity and threatens to stoke already high inflation, in turn fuelling unrest among trade unions and in poor townships.

Mbeki also stands accused of ineffective mediation in Zimbabwe, where a worsening crisis has flooded neighbouring countries, especially South Africa, with millions of refugees.

Those refugees were among the targets of a shocking outburst of xenophobic violence in May. Scenes of foreigners burned alive reminded many of the brutal violence at the end of apartheid.

Recent moves by the ANC have raised even more concern among commentators, with party leaders accused of a dangerous assault on the independence of the judiciary to protect new leader Jacob Zuma against corruption charges that could derail his expected succession to Mbeki in 2009.

But some analysts say the cries of doom are overblown.

Friedman said that while Mandela played a "brilliant and superb" role in reconciling the races, "He wasn't the Messiah and he isn't the Messiah."

Susan Booysen, a political analyst at Wits, SA's top university, said: "The kind of dream we all cherished in the Mandela era had an expire-by date."

Analysts say Mandela's place in history is due to the way in which his inspirational leadership and power of reconciliation averted civil war at the end of apartheid and united the races in a new democracy against great odds.

But he was seen to have only a vague grasp of economic issues and left detailed policy to Mbeki, his deputy president, who effectively ran government even then.

"Mbeki's great strength and weakness is that he is a policy wonk who is obsessed with all this stuff and pays absolutely no attention to people. Mandela was obsessed with people and ignored the policy," Friedman said.

"As a team they were pretty good but when one has to rely on any one of them it became a bit of a problem."

And despite the many problems, optimism lingers.

"There is still, certainly a very strong grassroots expectation that this government stands a chance to make things better. It is a continuously adapting dream, not the end of the dream for a long time yet," said Booysen.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Mandela's friend and fellow Nobel peace laureate, said in a newspaper birthday tribute: "We are richly blessed with the one who has made us believe that a rainbow nation is a viable proposition."

From : http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=...

This is the newest method of robbing banks in South Africa..why bother going inside...just blow up the ATM. The ingenuity of the average South African criminal continues to make strides..

Five people allegedly bombed an Automated Teller Machine in Lenasia on Wednesday, Johannesburg police said

Inspector Mpho Kgasoane said the five suspects were seen at the ATM in Starling street around 3am.

"They took an undisclosed amount of money and drove away in two getaway cars," said Kgasoane.

No one was injured. Cases of malicious damage to property, theft and dealing in explosives were opened. - Sapa

From the Democratic Alliance Web Site.....http://www.da.org.za/DA/Site/Eng/News/Article.asp?ID=9114

Statement issued by: Dianne Kohler-Barnard, DA spokesperson on Safety & Security
08 July 2008

The results of the recent Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) survey into attitudes towards crime have confirmed that the fear of being a victim of crime is on the rise in South Africa(1). This is the second study(2) this year to confirm this trend.

This rising fear of crime is fully justified when it is seen against the backdrop of significant increases in home and business robberies and carjackings, as revealed in the latest crime statistics. Not only are these crimes on the rise, they are also becoming increasingly and senselessly violent. All too often it seems that defenceless women, children and the elderly are beaten and shot while their homes are plundered with impunity.

The government is clearly failing in its primary duty, to keep citizens safe. This is largely a result of its mismanagement of the South African Police Service (SAPS). Due to an astonishing lack of leadership the SAPS is seemingly unable to turn around the fight against crime.

This singular lack of leadership is exemplified by the decision to extend the contract of corruption-accused National Police Commissioner, Jackie Selebi. Official figures released to the DA today by the SAPS reveal that Jackie Selebi is being paid a total package worth over one million rand to stay at home, pending the outcome of the criminal case against him. According to the SAPS salary scales Selebi will earn over the next year between R912,918 and R1,094,748, which equates to over R90 000 per month. All the while the brave men and women who are out in the street actually fighting criminals have to get by on meagre salaries of R3000-R5000 per month.

In order to regain control of our streets and communities, the government needs to ensure that it puts in place a SAPS leadership that commands respect and dignity – not ridicule and shame. We must have a police service that is fit, well-trained, disciplined and fully equipped to do its job – not one which is demoralised, overweight, badly trained and poorly supervised. We must have a SAPS leader strong enough to undo the policy failures that began under Selebi’s command – particularly the disbanding of the specialised units.

South Africans deserve to live lives free of fear. The time has come to take a stand and refuse to accept anything less from government.

(1) Roberts, B. (2008). “Age of hope or anxiety? The dynamics of fear of crime in South Africa”. HSRC Review Volume 6: No. 2 June 2008
(2) Institute for Security Studies Victims of Crime Survey 2007. Released May 2008.