The ruling African National Congress (ANC) has scored an average of 30% in the past year — down from 38% last year — in the eyes of the average Freedom Front Plus (FF+) supporter, says its leader, Dr Pieter Mulder.
On Tuesday, he released the results of his party’s annual ”report card” of the ANC’s performance on the basis of the viewpoint of the average FF+ supporter in key areas.
Under crime prevention and clean governance, the ruling party got just one out of 10 compared with four out of 10 last year. ”The biggest mishap was most probably the minister of safety and security’s statement in Parliament that people who complain about crime should either stop complaining or leave the country.”
There is also a ”dark cloud” hanging over Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka and Social Development Zola Skweyiya in the so-called Oilgate issue, the leader charged.
The figure for education, however, was the only area where the rating was up — to four out of 10 compared with three out of 10 last year.
Education Minister Naledi Pandor has made ”positive noises” about mother-tongue education but unfortunately it has not been established because parents — especially of black children — ”do not believe that education can take place in any other language than English”, Mulder said.
Although 85% of South African children attend school at primary level — the highest in Africa — there is ”serious concern” about the content of school learning plans and the standard of education.
On economic growth and job creation, the party gave the governing party 50% — down from 60% last year. ”For the first time since 1994 the growth rate [of 5%] has surpassed the interest rate [of 4,7%],” the leader said.
The party welcomed increased growth but was disappointed about black economic empowerment, which was accessible to ”only a small number of black elites”.
On language and cultural rights the party supporters gave the ANC just one out of 10, the same as last year, while on foreign affairs it was a 40% mark — down from 50% last year. It was also down on sport at 30%, compared with 40% last year.
Mulder, who did not divulge the size of the party-supporter sample, said changing the name of Lydenburg to Mashishing and the proposed change of Potchefstroom to Tlokwe ”were low points of the year”.
With the transfer of government in 1994, South Africa had an international reputation as a ”fighter for human rights”. This image has been blurred by its lack of reaction to serious human rights abuses in Zimbabwe.
”The annual report of the Department of Foreign Affairs [devotes] only 11 sentences to Zimbabwe, while a country such as Canada gets a whole page,” Mulder said.
Sport has come under the ANC’s political pressure. The Sport and Recreation Amendment Bill would give the government the right ”to actively interfere with sport administration”, he said. — I-Net Bridge