GNU’s imperative: Action on poverty and crime

South Africans are no strangers to government cliches or platitudes: One of our favourites flows from the mouths of law and order factotums promising they will “leave no stone unturned” in an investigation you know will go nowhere.

So, you will forgive us a bit of cynicism when our newly minted ministers in the government of national unity (GNU) start painting rosy pictures of the future under their polyglot administration.

After the conclusion of the first Cabinet lekgotla over the weekend, the opposition politicians now part of government (gamekeepers turned poachers, anyone?) spoke of hope and described the gathering as characterised by patriotism and camaraderie. A far cry from only a few months ago, then…

It has been mainly the Cabinet newbies who have seized the opportunity to get TV soundbites and newspaper headlines with their promises to tackle everything from long home affairs queues, to wasting taxpayer money on “superfans”, to chasing down hundreds of millions in public works department graft, to putting delinquent municipalities on notice that they will be taken over by central government if they can’t straighten up and fly right.

The latter is probably the one promise – made by Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa – which does have the potential to have the biggest impact on the lives of ordinary South Africans.

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It appears that the leader of the Inkatha Freedom Party knows his portfolio has real power and he’s ready to use it.

What we need now from the rest of the “serious” departments is real commitment – and action.

If the GNU is to succeed, it needs to tackle poverty and unemployment as its number one priority. Crime cannot be ignored, either. Nor can the land restitution questions.

Make real progress in those areas, comrades, and you will leave a positive legacy.