Participants at the 1st edition of the “Gandhi, Mandela, King” international conference said on Thursday in Pietermaritzburg that South Africa has recently had to face serious headwinds and must make bold reforms to its mode of governance if it is not to sink into chaos.
Speakers emphasized that South Africa has yet to achieve good governance, democracy, and social justice, nearly three decades after the apartheid segregationist regime ended.
In the same vein, the panelists pointed out that the failure of successive African National Congress (ANC) governments has highlighted the many challenges currently facing the country, namely state capture, rampant crime, and recurrent power cuts, as well as record unemployment and an acute economic crisis.
Some panelists made no secret of their pessimism, saying that it is difficult not to feel discouraged by the many challenges facing the country. The numerous strikes and demonstrations organized in several sectors are signs of social discontent in the face of government inaction and the resurgence of seemingly insoluble crises such as the electricity and water crises.
From the outset, the speakers posed this urgent question: Are the policies put in place by the ANC government keeping pace with the major changes in South African society and the world? Given the continuing political uncertainty and the many crises currently engulfing the country, they regretted that the answer was obviously no.
They also warned that without major reforms and changes, South Africa could once again be the scene of unprecedented riots and violence such as those seen in July 2021.
This year’s 1st International Conference “Gandhi, Mandela, King” is being held from 06 to 09 June in Pietermaritzburg under the theme “Peace and Justice for All: Mobilising for non-violent change”, with the participation of researchers, academics, and community activists from various countries.