FREE ESSAY ON SOUTH AFRICA

SOUTH AFRICA

Police In South Africa
In the old South Africa before 1994 the police officers job was to squash subversion and
his main obstacle was that most people hated him. Today after the 1994 years election the
South African police force main job is to stop the growing crime rate. Which seems
impossible for them to manage. The police officers main hurdle is his own lack of modern
policing skills. Many policemen are barely literate, and are no good at the
administrative tasks on which they spend seventy percent of their time.
South Africa's murder rate is eight times that of the United States, and figures released
on December 7th, 1999 showed steady increases in the other 18 of the 20 most serious
categories of offence (The Economist January 22nd 2000). According to data released by
the police, only one in every seven murders reported ends in conviction; and only one in
50 car hijacking result in a conviction (Business Day, 14 January 1999). 
School children can today in South Africa get hold of guns more easily than pencils.
There are nine million legal guns and estimated to be three to four million illegal guns
in circulation. Some hospitals now treat more bullet wounds than traffic injuries. Almost
18,000 new gun licenses are granted each month, and many believe that a firearm is their
best defense. Guns themselves are often target for robbers; most of the 225 policemen
killed in South Africa last year were murdered for their weapons (The Economist February
27th 1999)
Corruption - Governance
South African government official policy has been to downsize the government and make it
more racially representative. The South African government tried to achieve this goal by
offering generous severance packages to white public servants and then did not fill their
vacancies. By early 1998 24,000 individual packages had been granted to white (After
Mandela, The 1999 South African Elections, pg 15). This policy backfired on the South
African Government since most of the people taking the packages were more experienced and
competent public officials the public service could not afford to lose. 
Men and women who have been taken literally from the bush and without previous training,
and they have been asked to run the governments. There are too many civil servants, and
they often do not like each other. Some public servants claim multiple salaries and
pensions, and the honest ones are often not paid for months because there is no money
left. 
The South African government needs to focus on the core issues, job creation, crime,
housing and education and try to solve these problems.
Aids
Nearly 13 % of South Africans in the ages of 20 - 64 are infected with HIV. Between 6 -
10 million South Africans are likely to die of AIDS in the next ten years (The Economist
May 27th 2000).
South Africa has failed to promote a safe sex campaign effectively. More than 1,500 South
Africans a day are infected with HIV. 
Uganda, who has fewer resources than South Africa, reduced HIV frequency by half by their
successful anti-aids campaign with use of education as the main method. Mr. Mbeki should
use the Uganda method and urge people to sleep around less and use condom more.
There was almost no sex education at all in South African schools for a long time, and is
only in the last couple of years it has dramatically increased. South Africa should focus
their efforts on the young; most children under the age of 15 do not have sex yet and are
not infected, those are the once to reach.
And it did not help that Mr. Mbeki for a long time took advise from scientist that argued
that HIV did not cause AIDS. Mr. Mbeki finally has come to his right mind and believes
that HIV does indeed cause AIDS.
South Africa, with its advanced industries has started to suffer a shortage of skilled
manpower because of AIDS. Companies have started to inform and raise awareness of AIDS
among their workers because the companies cannot afford to lose any more manpower.
Democratizing
In the early 1980s the South African president P. W. Botha started to initiate a process
of the South African political system. President Botha legalized for example black trade
unions, established mixed trading zones, granted citizenship to urban blacks etc, but
P.W. Botha did not go all the way and still did not allowed in the house of parliament
blacks. President Botha did not want and had no intentions of totally change the
political system. His reforms were more designed to improve and moderate and make the
existing system more acceptable. But he had no intention at all to end white power.
President Botha's reforms had to opposite effect, and intensified demands from South
African blacks for their full incorporation into the political system. This led to
several uprising in black townships that had hoped the collapse of the Afrikaner
dominated regime was imminent. The government had to suppress black people and crushed
their dreams one more time. This uprising had one major impact; it lead to international
attention and both the United States and the European government intensified their
economic sanctions against South Africa. 
In 1989 when F.W. de Klerk and he replaced P.W. Botha as a president, he started more
extensive reforms to incorporate blacks in the political system, and emphasized the
importance of negotiations instead of the use of violence as Botha. In 1990 the African
National Congress was unbanned, imprisoned political leaders were freed, and exiles were
allowed to return to the country.
Conclusion
Before the revolution of 1994 people in South Africa tended to cluster in large urban
centers that were unable to provide critical public service such as medical care, law
enforcement, electrical utilities, and sanitation. Once the population in South Africa
realized that they no longer had to live in the poverty of the past, that change was
possible, and the people could create a better life through their own efforts, their
dissatisfaction grew.
South African black's and other minority groups expected too much when Nelson Mandela
become president; many of the conditions of before 1994 still today has not changed and
that has lead to mass frustration, social unrest and political upheaval, which only
further diminished the prospect for economic growth.
South Africa and Africa as a continent has a major obstacle to overcome when it comes to
fighting AIDS. The disease now ranks fourth among the worlds big killers. For Africa to
have a chance a clear leadership is required. Most African government has been slow to
recognize the threat. 
There can be good governance in South Africa if the Mbeki administration is prepared to
bring courage and determination into the office of the presidency. As it stands today
ANC's member of parliament are not even encouraged to critize their own ministers. There
is very little accountability. There is a blurring line between the relationship of civil
society and party politics; often they are the same standing on ANC side.
Is hard for NGOs to be independent since the in most cases receive government funding.
Today many NGOs compete for government contract and are following the official line. One
of the most important elements in promoting greater accountability is the role played by
NGOs, civic society and think tanks. The NGOs and the civic organizations needs to
distance itself from the ANC, otherwise how can they be really representing the real
needs of the poor clearly?
? Job creation seen as the most important problem by 72 % black South Africans and 60 %
of colored community.
? Criminal concerns 80 % of white and 90 % of Indian communities.
? According to national polls, 41 % are satisfied with democracy, 59 % are unsatisfied.
? Question: What if democracy does not work.
? 47 % consider democracy to be always best, 43% favored a strong non- elected leader, 10
% did not know.
? 1997 50 5 of voters believed that officials in government department were corrupt.
(After Mandela, The 1999 South African Elections, pg 54)