THE COVID-19 AND SOUTH AFRICA’S ELITE FRAGILE NATIONAL CONSENSUS
Dumisani Tembe
Former president Thabo Mbeki sought to address the issue of national consciousness – but in vain. Ironically, Mbeki’s attempts were dealt with by the liberal elite at two main points: first, the moment Mbeki said “I am an African”; and secondly, when he said: “South Africa is country of two nations – one white and prosperous, and another black and poor”.
Pity, South African democratic presidents, all from the ANC, only opportunistically quote former president Nelson Mandela, and none of their other predecessors. Hence, the elitist self-serving national consensus and consciousness is back on the agenda with no benefits from the previous experiences.
The Coronavirus (Covid-19) is bad. It is horrible. It is a national and global health hazard. It has devastating consequences both socially and economically. It is important that the fight against Covid – 19 has been declared a national disaster by President Cyril Ramaphosa. However, it is dangerous when health ills that predominantly affect the poor do not enjoy a similar urgency, resource, effort, and time dedication by government.
There are many society ills that affect the poor that ought to be a national priority: homelessness; landlessness; abject poverty; black youth unemployment; HIV/AIDS; TB; and generally unaffordable health services. In fact, the vulnerability of the poor black majority to the Covid – 19, is precisely because they are subjected to these sub-human social conditions.
It is this very ill social conditions that render their immune systems weak. No matter how often the poor wash their hands, their social condition of homelessness; hunger and malnutrition, renders them very vulnerable to Covid – 19.
Government’s isolation of the treatment of the Covid-19 from the broader socio-economic conditions that afflict the poor and makes them more vulnerable than he elite, makes its approach, ironically, rather elitist. The elite can self-isolate and quarantine – they have the mansions to do that. They can stay in the ships that are not allowed to dock; they can afford to stay a few hours at the airport, and eventually fly back to where they come from.
The elite can afford to buy all detergents from supermarkets and pharmacies, and then self-quarantined itself. In fact, whilst the poor is joining government efforts to look after the elite and everyone else, the elite is actually selfishly looking after itself through bulk buying and living nothing for the poor. As Bob Marley noted: “….the hopeless sinners who have hurt all mankind just to serve their own …” Evidently, it is actually the poor, the weak and vulnerable that require more intervention by the state.
This government, drawn from a liberation tradition, simply has to prioritise the poor and vulnerable even if their plight has little or no bearing to the affluent of society. Homelessness and lack of water and sanitation has been a perennial health for the poor.
As the pandemic unfolds, and beyond, the centrality of the state in addressing the state of the socio-economic disaster of the black poor and vulnerable, needs to be entrenched. Given the centrality of the immune system in the devastating capacity of Covid-19, issues of hunger, homelessness, overcrowding in informal settlements, and lack of water and sanitation, also become an essential state of the national disaster. Therefore, the state must aggressively and with the same vigour, address these social disaster ills.
Unfortunately, the poor is currently unable to use its only weapon – mass mobilization and protest to advance the centrality of its developmental agenda to the state. This is the case because the president has decreed that gatherings should not exceed 100 people. The poor and vulnerable only hope is to rely on those it voted into government. These are predominantly the black poor, and mostly residing in rural areas.
The current mood in society, provides the political leadership with the opportunity to intervene in the socio-economic development affairs of society in favour of the poor, weak, and vulnerable. It provides the ruling party leadership with an opportune moment to rise to the occasion and aggressively drive the pro-poor agenda.
President Ramaphosa needs to build upon the current fictitious national consciousness beyond the elite to benefit the masses. Right now, Ramaphosa’s government, enjoys the expressed support by virtually all the major political parties: the Democratic Alliance (DA) and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF). Civil society and corporate institutions are also cooperating with government in addressing this part of the national state of disaster.
President Ramaphosa should build upon this fragile national consensus to a broader consensus on the urgency of addressing a wider range of national ills. This will entail adapting a developmental regime that delivers public goods timeously and effectively, regardless of the social class status of those affected.
Otherwise, the Coronavirus in South Africa, will have answered the question – whose government is the ANC government? As Bob Marley sang on the occasion of the Independence celebrations in Harari, Zimbabwe in 1980: “Soon we will find out who truly the real revolutionaries are. I do not want my people to be tricked by mercenaries!”
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