In search of Zuma’s vision that addresses South Africa’s pressing problems:
As uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party celebrates its first anniversary, its rapid rise in South Africa’s political arena has taken many by surprise. With more than 14% of the electoral vote, the MK party’s swift ascension under the leadership of former president Jacob Zuma has disrupted the political status quo, but it has also raised significant concerns.
While Zuma’s enduring influence is undeniable, questions about the party’s long-term viability and Zuma’s role in shaping South Africa’s future have become pressing. The MK party, named after the armed wing of the ANC during apartheid, carries Zuma’s name and legacy, but recent decisions raise alarms about the future of South Africa’s political stability and democracy. Most notably, the party’s adoption of a constitution that grants the president total power to appoint and recall individuals in both the party and government structures reveals the party’s troubling centralism.
While these concerns over the party’s internal organisation are significant, they obscure a deeper, more critical question: what is Zuma’s core message in the current political climate?
The nation is grappling with severe economic problems, a growing divide between political parties, and an uncertain international policy position. For Zuma’s voice to resonate now, it must transcend mere symbolism and offer a clear, actionable path. Yet, as it stands, Zuma’s voice appears increasingly disconnected from the needs of the nation.
Zuma’s advocacy for black unity and his calls for the empowerment of South Africa’s historically marginalised black people have been central to his current political persona. These ideals, undoubtedly significant, seem to lack the urgency one would wish to see. While unity remains important, the country has far deeper and more complex issues — rising inequality and unemployment, as well as systemic corruption, to name a few, that demand more than a call for unity. The MK party, despite its populist appeal, has struggled to articulate a coherent vision for tackling these pressing national issues.
What is missing from the MK’s narrative? While the party garners significant support from Zuma’s loyal base, its messaging falls short of addressing the broader South African populace. The MK party’s appeal often seems to revolve around Zuma’s personality, rather than a substantive policy platform. In this sense, the MK party risks becoming little more than a vessel for Zuma’s personal brand rather than a political force that can offer solutions to South Africa’s structural issues.
Zuma’s current rise to power was grounded in the defiance of the political establishment, a narrative that resonated deeply with many South Africans. But, as the MK party rises, its foundation appears fragile. Zuma’s defiance no longer offers a cohesive alternative to the ruling ANC or an innovative approach to governance; instead, it is becoming a personality-driven movement that distracts from the real problems. South Africa’s citizens are left wondering whether the MK party can transition from a movement built on personal loyalty to a viable political alternative with a clear and actionable vision for the nation.
Further complicating Zuma’s political standing is his silence as a former state president on international discourse, such as the question of Palestine. In an era where South Africa’s foreign policy is under the international spotlight, Zuma’s silence on key global issues raises questions about his understanding of South Africa’s place in the world. Does his alliance with other global leaders, especially Russia’s President Vladimir Putin signal a shift in South Africa’s foreign policy priorities? And what implications might this have for South Africa’s diplomatic relations, particularly in light of the growing geopolitical tensions? Zuma’s reluctance to deal with these issues adds another layer of ambiguity to his leadership style and raises further doubts about his capacity to steer South Africa through the complexities the nation faces.
Domestically, Zuma’s proposals are equally vague. While his calls for economic justice and black unity are not without merit, they no longer stand as sufficient solutions to South Africa’s growing economic crisis. The country faces crippling unemployment, entrenched inequality, and a political landscape rife with corruption. Zuma’s rhetoric, while powerful in its time, now risks becoming increasingly irrelevant in addressing the complex issues of today. The MK party seems to be stuck in the past, unable to present a clear policy framework that speaks to the immediate needs of the nation.
The MK party’s rise could have been an opportunity to shift the political conversation in South Africa, offering a fresh perspective and viable alternatives to the policies of the past. Yet, it seems to be a personality-driven movement, where the party’s message is lost behind the man. Zuma’s leadership needs to evolve beyond nostalgic rhetoric and address the realities of governance in the modern South African state.
Zuma’s voice in the current political climate needs to carry a concrete, forward-looking vision for South Africa’s future.
Khothalang Moseli is a social and human rights activist writing in his individual capacity.
Not providing textbooks to quintiles 4 and 5 will impoverish children:
In South Africa, a country where inequalities in education are still a big issue, access to learner materials such as textbooks, study guides and stationery are essential for quality education. These resources are not just a luxury but a constitutional right that directly affects their ability to succeed.
But the availability of such resources is increasingly under threat. During a media briefing in Pretoria on 25 September, Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube raised concerns about the effect of fiscal mismanagement across government. She warned that these budgetary constraints could result in fewer teachers and reduced access to essential learning materials such as textbooks, with quintile 4 and 5 schools — often perceived as better resourced — particularly at risk.
In the past, there have been troubling reports of learner materials not reaching classrooms, delaying academic progress. The South African Human Sciences Research Council documented how the lack of these resources affected under-resourced schools.
Access to learner materials is vital, particularly in schools without digital resources or supplementary tools. Under section 29(1)(a) of the Constitution, every learner has the right to resources necessary for basic education. This constitutional guarantee aims to ensure that all learners, regardless of socio-economic status, have the tools they need to succeed academically.
For teachers, textbooks provide a reliable foundation for lesson planning, enabling them to deliver a structured and consistent curriculum. When used alongside a teacher’s creativity, textbooks can help create a rich and effective learning experience for learners.
A global report by Unesco emphasises the transformative effect of learning resources, particularly textbooks in education, noting that providing each learner with them could improve literacy scores by up to 20%, especially in low-income households. This is particularly relevant in South Africa, where a significant portion of the population faces socio-economic difficulties.
While the long-term effects of reduced learner materials are still debated, they highlight the need for balance in resource allocation. Numerous studies, both locally and internationally, affirm the essential role learning resources play in enhancing literacy and closing educational inequalities?.
In South Africa, millions of learners attend quintiles 4 and 5 schools. These families often sacrifice financially to make sure their children have what they perceive as better educational opportunities, not because they can afford to. Despite the perceived advantage, learners in these schools face challenges and, as such, require even more resource support.
Back in the early 2000s, the basic education department released a report which revealed that many schools in the higher quintiles grappled with overcrowded classrooms, inadequate infrastructure and underqualified teachers. More than 20 years later, this reality has not changed and for many of these schools, learning resources are their backbone.
By providing access to the same materials, educational inequality can be reduced, helping to bridge gaps in resource availability across all schools.
One of the government’s main commitments is to ensure equity in education. School allocations were introduced to ensure that all learners — especially those in poorer provinces — have the resources needed for quality education. While these allocations were initially increased, over time they have not kept up with the enormous imbalances that continue.
The #TextbooksMatter campaign, which was led by Section27 in 2015, emphasised the power of constitutional challenges and public encouragement in addressing such issues. The campaign highlighted how inadequate delivery of textbooks in Limpopo led to a lawsuit and extensive public conversations. It ended up in court rulings stressing the government’s duty to provide these essential resources.
The government must uphold its commitment to equitable education by ensuring access to learner materials across all schools. While embracing the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), it is important not to forget that innovative educational approaches are still out of reach for many communities. Targeted support remains crucial to enhance the availability of learning material in public schools.
The government must uphold its commitment to providing essential learning materials for all learners in the country.
Keith Michael is the chief executive of Lebone Litho Printers.
Mentorship ensures the success of the academically gifted girl:
The Africa Girl Child Dialogues (AGCDs) is an annual career mentorship initiative spearheaded by Good Governance Africa (GGA) and its partnership network. It is held on 11 October in commemoration of the International Day of the Girl Child. This year it was hosted in partnership with Boston Media House and had a special focus on inspiring girls to take up careers in the media sector.
As part of making tangible the dialogue’s commitment to enabling girls education and empowerment, this year the Boston Media House, through a competitive scholarship application process, awarded some of the girls scholarships. This is an important step in averting the financial hurdle that often cuts short some gifted girls’ educational and career journeys.
Since the dialogues’ inception in 2022, they have become testament to the centrality of multi-stakeholder collaboration for structural, holistic and therefore sustainable girls’ education and empowerment interventions. The dialogues’ special niche is career guidance that is designed to ensure that girls pursue their education with an awareness of the career paths available to them through learning from the experiences of women already being effective within the focus sector. It complements on-going national, regional and global interventions by other players focusing on equally important aspects of addressing the wide array of issues that affect girls’ development.
One of such outstanding interventions is by the Higherlife Foundation. Although its biggest operations are in Zimbabwe, with a presence in the country’s 10 provinces, it has programming offices on the continent that enable a national, regional and global reach. Its portfolio entails investments in education and leadership development, healthcare and sanitation, job creation and rural transformation. Its focus on rural transformation is commendable because mentorship programmes have largely been a facet of private schools yet are most needed for identifying and nurturing talent and broadening opportunities for economic empowerment and economic transformation in marginalised and under-resourced communities.
This need for mentorship in rural and under-served communities is echoed by Zimbabwe’s Maud Chifamba, now a chartered accountant, through her education and career journey. Although she makes no specific mention of initially undergoing a formal mentorship programme, she underscores the role that episodes of mentorship by different people, including her father, family members and teachers played in enabling her to surmount difficult socio-economic odds and forge ahead at various stages of her life. She makes a critical observation that one can only imagine what they have seen and laments at how the talent in rural areas does not thrive because it is not nurtured and the young people there often do not have a template to imagine and re-imagine life from.
Joanne Freeman, in her analysis on mentoring gifted pupils, defines mentoring as a focused form of enriched education beyond what the normal school system offers, noting that it is relevant for students of different capabilities. She states that it is critical for identifying unrealised gifted potential, creativity in high-achieving learners or helping underachievers.
While some girls start off very promising, a lack of ongoing mentorship and mental health support may be a setback because of the resultant failure to navigate everyday life challenges. Societal expectations and rigid educational systems often assume that gifted girls require less attention and supervision. The misconception is that the gifted girl child or adolescent inherently possesses the means to overcome any problems. Similarly, they often feel pressured to be “perfect” and maintain high standards and when they fail to do so it can engender a sense of shame.
Holding oneself to high standards is good and important. But the girls should be capacitated to handle pressure by seeking help when they need it most. Therefore, being intentional about providing holistic attention throughout the girl’s life cycle is crucial for her optimal performance and success. This attention is especially important as she navigates the different stages of her academic and professional development, as each requires different coping strategies and skills. Failure to address these will affect her mental health and is likely to manifest as anxiety, isolation and depression, which ultimately affects performance.
Effective mentoring provides girls with advice and encouragement, as well as new skills and institutional knowledge. The feedback and guidance from mentors can improve performance and enhance a healthy work-life balance essential for maintaining good mental health.
Freeman, who notes that mentoring extends opportunities for learning, also advises that the best mentors are those at their career peak, rather than retirees, who may resist new ideas. Unfortunately, this may make it difficult to persuade potential mentors to take on mentorship roles.
In addition, more than one mentor may be needed to address the different aspects of a subject area and life stage. Notwithstanding that close, supportive relationships between mentors and mentees lasting more than a year are central to success.
Drawing from her personal and professional experience in education, Sarah Nyengerai proposes these forms of institutional support for mentorship initiatives:
- Implementing mentorship programmes that teach mentees various life skills like self-awareness and goal setting.
- Assigning a mentor or mentors that are honest about their journeys and life experiences. This ensures that recipients of awards don’t feel alone when facing difficulties.
- Equipping mentors with skills and material so that they can offer holistic support.
- Creating an environment that allows for a girl to speak out about her problems.
- Creating “zero judgment” spaces through, for instance, alumni networks or focus group discussions.
- Facilitating communication channels that allow mentees to open up about difficulties they have with mentors, such as personality clashes.
- Fostering an attitude of “mistakes are not final” but either mean pause or restrategise.
- Developing modules and designing training sessions on work/life balance and recovering from setbacks in life, for instance, after a breakup or death in the family that may affect her studies. This is done in tandem with counselling services through campus counsellors.
- Calling on guardians and family members with skills to offer support.
- Mentor-mentee boot camps that provide training for mentors and mentees. The programmes may include talks, knowledge sharing, networking and training.
Mentoring is a one-to-one relationship that can last for months or years and complements academic learning. A gifted girl can be empowered to reach her full potential and have the life-skills to overcome problems that may be an obstacle to achieving even the smallest wins on their educational and career journey.
Sikhululekile Mashingaidze is a researcher in the GGA’s Peace and Security Programme. Sarah Nyengerai is an academic and freelance writer with a passion for social, cultural, economic and political issues that affect women and girl-children.
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