Whites are not to blame for SA’s ills, corruption is

Politics of divisiveness through race and ethnicity should never be tolerated in a united South Africa.

The recent elections have proved there are populist figures such as Jacob Zuma and Julius Malema, who see an opportunity to mobilise people based coon skin colour or the language they speak.

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SA is a maturing democracy and will never seek to regress its nation-building efforts. I was shocked to see the party for which I used to be spokesperson, the Pan Africanist Congress (PAC), aligning itself as a “black party”.

I had been taught in the PAC that nonracialism was a central point of organising our society. Nonracialism is a concept coined by one of the least celebrated African philosophers and freedom fighters, Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe, who declared there is only one race to which all belong: the human race.

He further pointed out that “race” as applied to man has no plural. This concept is not only embedded in a philosophical aspect, there is a scientific aspect to it.

Sobukwe’s commitment to a society without recognition of “race” is a commitment to build a united society. His argument was the structure of the body of man provided evidence to prove the biological unity of the human species.

SA built a new nation that would be nonracial, nonsexist and united, accepted by an overwhelming majority. Institutions, systems and policies were established to advance the ideals, such as those found in Chapter 9 of our constitution, something many countries do not have.

We have seen how many African countries are continuing to use ethnicity as an electoral and political mobilisation tool; we are seeing throughout the world how demagogues are emerging as possible leaders by engaging in divisive politics.

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We have to appreciate our electorate for having rejected to rally behind those populist figures, who continue to polarise our country by instigating hate against people who don’t look or speak like them.

We are supposed to organise and mobilise electoral support based on the policies we would like to effect. We have to stop misleading South Africans by making them believe white people are entirely the problem.

It is not true… and opportunists like Malema know it. Unlike other countries, we have functioning systems of governance that are at times compromised.

It is black people who are running the state. We have a lot of money, more than some European countries collect through tax, but people want to hijack the government and steal this money.

Our problem is not race. We are our worst problem. We have to be patriotic and start serving our country with the utmost love and selflessness.

Our corrupt politicians and public servants prioritise their pockets before the interests of the country. Who is giving entry and exit to illegal immigrants?

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Why are foreigner-owned spaza shops still operating without complying with the country’s laws, such as registering the business, paying taxes and meeting health and safety requirements? Are we justified in blaming anyone for these failures to govern?

This new administration has to do things differently. We have to establish special courts which will deal with corruption, quickly and efficiently.

By crushing corruption in our public sector, we would easily build a capable state that will have quality civil services, a thriving economy and general progress in all aspects of the political economy.

• Mokgatlhe is a political analyst