How to fix South Africa: the DA vs the ANC’s plans
This week both the ANC and the DA unveiled plans to ‘radically’ change South Africa.
The ANC’s 12-point plan detailed a list of points that will be addressed at a ‘people’s assembly’ ahead of the State of the Nation (SONA) address on Thursday, 9 February.
The plan was seen as a preview to the tone and direction president Zuma’s address with a particular focus being on “radical transformation”.
Meanwhile, DA leader Mmusi Maimane released his own “State of the Nation” speech, which contained the party’s ‘rescue plan’.
Maimane’s speech was attended by diplomats, the media and stakeholders, and was centered around the theme of a “Rescue Mission for a Lost Generation”.
Both plans are almost entirely focused on “transformation”, though both parties take very different approaches on how to bring this about.
The ANC
In its own words, the ANC’s main objective remains “the liberation of blacks in general, and Africans in particular”, and has called for “radical” change to the economy.
Broadly, this includes creating jobs, accelerating inclusive growth and transforming the structure and ownership of production.
Particular emphasis is placed on transforming the country’s financial institutions, feeding into the party and government’s narrative that the country’s banks are not sufficiently transformed, and are still in the hands of “white monopoly capital”.
You can read more on the plan here.
1. Return the land to the people using Constitutional means.
2. Invest money in township and rural communities and ensure we build post-apartheid cities in our rural areas and vibrant businesses in our townships.
3. No less than 30% of ALL government spending must go to black businesses and small, medium and micro enterprises.
4. Massive roll-out of broadband infrastructure, ensuring connectivity of schools, universities, hospitals, police stations and other public areas.
5. Implement the Maputo Declaration and ensure 10% of GDP goes to agricultural development.
6. Turn South Africa into a construction site; deliver water, sanitation, roads, electricity and houses.
7. Diversify ownership in the financial services sector, licence the Post Bank, introduce new players and transform the industry in favour of the people as a whole.
8. Finalise the National Minimum Wage to give income security to all our people.
9. Increase the requirement for black ownership in mines, ensure that a significant amount is in the hands of the workers and advance local beneficiation.
10. Implement free higher education for the poor and produce
no fewer than 5000 PhDs per annum by 2030, and urgently generate more artisans.11. Review SA’s trade policies to prioritise national interest and support and promote local business.
12. Mercilessly deal with corruption, fighting both the tigers and the flies.
The DA
The DA’s rescue plan focused on a “what-if” scenario, should the DA eventually lead the country.
It is also focused on a transformation of the economy, but focuses more on the “lost generation” – young South African who had no education employment or training despite being “born free”.
While the ANC places heavy emphasis on restructuring the systems that are already in place to better suit and cater for the black majority, the DA’s plan is centred around uplifting the youth to be better equipped to navigate life self-sufficiently.
You can read a full transcript of the speech here.
- A revamp of the education system: achieved through pre-school nutrition; limiting teacher’s strikes in school hours; investing in the training and retraining of current teachers; giving parents a greater say in the education system; the creation of a national education inspectorate; collaboration between public schools, non-profits and private companies.
- Improving employment opportunities: achieved through an expanded National Student Financial Aid Scheme; matriculants who don’t qualify for university will receive a free year of technical and vocational training; inviting more international universities to open locally; investing heavily in a private sector apprenticeship programme; nation-wide government internship programme.
- Expanding the current labour market: by giving access to capital through a Jobs & Justice fund; Special Development Zones equipped with necessary infrastructure such as fibre internet connections; stopping the nuclear deal; moving away from Eskom as a sole supplier; improving broadband connectivity and investment; partly privatising State Owned Enterprises.
- Shifting the focus of Black Economic Empowerment policies: by adopting a once-empowered always-empowered policy for the mining industry; rewarding companies that put young black people through school; strongly incentivising young black people employment and ownership opportunities; give ownership of land through title deeds and redistributing government land; incentivising farmers with equity schemes.
- Improving security, health and accountability in South Africa: by adding an extra 50,000 police officers to the police service; reintroducing specialised police units; establishing strong linkages between the police and community safety groups; workable, affordable universal healthcare plan that doesn’t impact current private health sector; stopping corruption on a municipal, provincial and municipal level using current DA-led municipalities and plans as a benchmark.
Read: The ANC’s 12-point plan to ‘radically’ change South Africa
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