"The era's beginning: are these ruined shacks,
these poor schools, these people still in rags and tatters,
this cloddish insecurity of my poor families,
is all this the day?
The Century's beginning, the golden door?"
Citation by President Thabo Mbeki of Chilean poet, Pablo Neruda, in Parliament, 5 February 2004
In President Mbeki's second "State of the Nation" speech this year, composed after a landslide electoral victory by the ANC, he chose to focus on the way forward. More specifically, he set himself and his government very defined targets, with deadlines. It is precisely these sorts of markers which need to be rigorously assessed, on an ongoing basis, to determine whether government is delivering on its promises. Or, as Mbeki would put it, to see if the golden door is finally opening.
The HSRC's annual State of the Nation publication, now in its second year, takes the form of just such an assessment. It asks, quite simply, if government is performing. If politicians are delivering. If programmes, funded by tax-payers' money, are working. If the poor, living on electoral promises, are surviving. If the economy is alive, if black empowerment is kicking, if school kids are learning. It asks such questions, explores the evidence, and comes to conclusions. It makes critical, as much as constructive, suggestions.
Following the format of the South African Review edited by Glenn Moss and others during the 1980s, the publication is dedicated to reviewing developments in South Africa. It offers analysis and assessment of contemporary events and trends, ranging from poverty alleviation programmes to the problem of crime to changes in the cultural landscape and beyond. Using the presidential "State of the Nation" speeches as a springboard, it provides both background pictures and foreground observations, provided by a range of commentators.
The current volume is a project of the Democracy and Governance Research Programme of the HSRC, but also draws on work undertaken elsewhere in the organisation as well the research of analysts and social scientists from universities and civil society. Chapters in the 2004-2005 edition are broad-ranging, covering many of the most pertinent issues facing South Africa today.
The publication is divided into four parts. Part 1, Politics, features articles which explore race and identity, the position of opposition parties in post-election 2004, rural governance, corruption and the state of the public service.
In Part II, Society, chapters deal with the state of the police and military force, South Africa's schools, the HIV/AIDS pandemic, Islam in South Africa, the state of the arts, gender representation and the state of the country's archives.
Part III, Economy, gives an overview of the South African economy, looks at who owns South Africa in terms of state and private ownership patterns, assesses the state of employment, poverty and inequality, looks at black economic empowerment, and questions service delivery performance.
Finally, in Part IV, South Africa in Africa, South Africa's position in Africa is explored in terms of the country's relationship to other SADC countries as well as to the other economic giant in Africa, Nigeria; and with regard to its quiet diplomacy approach to Zimbabwe.
South Africa in 2004 remains confronted by many formidable problems including poverty, social inequality and poor economic growth. However, the country is still a more self-confident, optimistic and ambitious place then it was ten years ago. Many gains have been made over the past decade. But many more gains need to be made over the future decade, if this confidence is to remain.
Progress will depend significantly on the choices that are made by government. And its performance will be closely monitored. In this regard, the State of the Nation publication has a vital role to play, as much a guide for government as a handbook for civil society.
State of the Nation 2004-2005 is published by the HSRC Press and edited by John Daniel, Roger Southall & Jessica Lutchman.
- John Daniel is the Research Director of the Democracy and Governance Research Programme, HSRC and Chair of the Editorial Board, HSRC Press.
- Roger Southall is a Distinguished Research Fellow in the Democracy and Governance Research Programme, HSRC.
- Jessica Lutchman is a Researcher in the Democracy and Governance Research Programme, HSRC.
Contributors to the book include Sam Sole, Zimitri Erasmus, Lungisile Ntsebeza, Reg Rumney, Lloyd M Sachikonye and Shireen Hassim
Copies of all of HSRC Press published titles are available from leading booksellers nationally, and from the online bookshop at www.hsrcpublishers.ac.za.
For a media copy of the book, or to make contact with the authors, contact:Karen Bruns
Marketing Manager
HSRC Press
Tel: +27 21 466 8022
Fax: +27 21 461 0836
Mobile: 083 231 8326
e-mail: kbruns@hsrc.ac.za
