There is solid consensus within the world of science and academia that “there is no any institution or organisation that is perfect”.
Even the most holy and sanctified institution on earth, the church, is neither perfect nor infallible. The same injunction also applies to the generic capabilities of humans: there is no human being on earth who is perfect.
It is not advisable to apply the “model of perfection” when appraising the functionality of societal institutions. There are empirical benchmarks which are used to gauge the performance of an institution or organisation. The year 2015 is drawing to a close and that compels us to critique the performance of the Limpopo Government. Under Premier Stanley Mathabatha, the province is set on the correct growth and development trajectory. The Premier’s juxtaposition of economic growth and economic development has enabled him to expand the scope of service delivery. Mathabatha is the first premier to implement a “service delivery dispensation” that is inspired by “macro-economic matrix model”.
Proponents of “macro-economic matrix model” reckon there should be a continual interplay between economic growth and socio-economic development. All former Limpopo premiers wrongly assumed that economic growth is synonymous with economic development. Our erstwhile premiers wrongly presumed that economic growth would naturally translates into socio-economic development.
Between 1996 and 2013, the province enjoyed economic growth but that did not translate in the reduction of unemployment rate. Previous provincial administrations did not fully grasp the dialectics of a symbiosis between growth and development. Mathabatha’s diligent comprehension of macroeconomics puts him at an advanced position in terms of governance. That explains the reason why Limpopo managed to significantly reduce its unemployment rate by 13,2 percent in 2014. Limpopo is the first and only province to have reached that monumental milestone since the dawn of democracy in 1994.
The 2014 Labour Force Survey rated Limpopo as the second best province in terms of job creation. In that job creation category, our province came second after the North West. Against all odds and in the face of global economic adversity, the province managed to create over 67 000 jobs in 2014. The Premier’s mastery of “growth and developmental economics” is adding more impetus to the province’s service delivery portfolio.
Last week the premier hosted two ground-breaking events whose themes embodied the heart and soul of governance and public administration. These two events were the Provincial Batho Pele Day celebrations and the Relaunching of the Limpopo Anti-Corruption Forum.
Former president Thabo Mbeki initiated the Batho Pele philosophy to serve as a moral and ethical compass among government employees. It is a humanitarian philosophy whose core mission is to inculcate a spirit of ubutu among all public servants, officials and leaders. All government employess are obliged to serve and treat people with honesty, humility, kindness, humanity, respect, dignity, care and patience. Public servants are also compelled to provide citizens with reliable information about government services, projects and events. The Batho Pele philosophy is inspired by an injunction that “government should always work for the betterment of all citizens”.
The Premier’s relaunching of the Anti Corruption Forum serves to confirm a notion that corruption is a societal monster. Corruption is a predatory monster which stalks and eats away at the nation’s aspirations, hopes, dreams and wishes. Corruption shatters and turns upside down the noble ambitions of innocent citizens. Corruption annihilates the dreams of ordinary people who have invested all their hopes in the brightening sunshine of a new era. During the Cassel Mathale administration, we saw how syndicated corruption can infect and paralyse the whole edifice of government. The Mathale administration turned the people’s dreams of a better life into a burdening experience of hopelessness. That was an era of misery and adversity when our province was mockingly called “Zim-popo”.
Corruption and all its associated vices are unmistakably orchestrated by persons who are devoid of a moral compass. Classical criminologists are of a cognitive view that corrupt individuals are afflicted by “degenerate psyches”. Corrupt people are usually overwhelmed and driven by a hedonistic attitude that impels them to want to benefit at the expense of others. A degenerate tenderpreneur will bid for a tender that worth R52 million, and simultaneously bid for another tender which is valued at R2 000. In a psycho-analytical context, that greedy attitudinal trait smacks of a “degenerate psyche”. Wanton greed, get-rich-quick mentality and an obsessive quest for showmanship are the personality traits of a corrupt individual.
Mathabatha’s no-nonsense approach and zero tolerance of corruption bode well for the institutional image and brand reputation of this province.
I urge premier Mathabatha to continue putting the province on a sustainable trajectory of economic growth and socio-economic development. Economic growth should always, and without fail, translate into “the creation of a better life for all people”.
Lastly, I wish all Limpopo residents and visitors a beautiful, joyous, tranquil and peaceful festive season.
God bless you all.
Elvis Masoga, political analyst
