Fast Facts 2011

Contents:

• Land
  The green paper on land reform claims to help the rural poor. Its effect will rather be to expand the State’s control over land and increase dependency on the ruling party. It will also give selected cadres increased scope to wield state power for personal advantage.
• Land reform
  The green paper on land reform proposes a single system of land tenure likely to put more and more land into government ownership. It also introduces three new bureaucratic structures which seek to oust court jurisdiction over property rights. Instead of helping black South Africans experience the security of land ownership, it seems intent on preventing them from acquiring this foundation for economic and political independence.
• Land
  The National Development Plan put forward by the National Planning Commission contradicts the green paper by emphasising the importance of secure tenure and urging pragmatism in land reform. But it is also fanciful.
• Farming
  The National Development Plan, in setting out its vision for 2030, sees agriculture as ‘having the potential to create close to 1 million new jobs’ within the next two decades. Like other government plans in the past, it sets out detailed job targets but offers no practical basis for achieving them.
• Economic forecasts
• Fast Stats
   

Contents:

• Lawrence Schlemmer
  When he died on 26th October, Professor Lawrence Schlemmer had been a vice president of the Institute since 1976. He also served as president from 1983 to 1985.
• Provincial profiles
  This issue of Fast Facts presents the state of the nine provinces in South Africa. Rankings are calculated by the Institute to compare each province’s performance in the following areas: demographics, the economy, employment and incomes, education, health, living conditions, and crime. Stronger economies are generally overall best performers but their crime indicators are a weak point.
• Provincial profiles
  The Institute presents our annual statistical review of South Africa’s provinces.
• Fast Stats
   

Contents:

• Public debate
  Despite claims to the contrary, criticism and scrutiny of the Government is thriving among black opinion-makers.
• Public debate
  Some claim that black people who criticise the Government are anti-black and others suggest black opinion-makers have opted out of public debate.
• The economy
  There are a number of challenges facing the economy and most agree that unemployment and stagnant growth are the most pressing.
• Race relations
  Opinions on race relations are greatly varied. While some black commentators say that black people cannot be racist, others accuse ANC and government leaders of racism.
• Unemployment
  Black opinion-makers agree that unemployment is a serious issue in South Africa but differ greatly on how to rectify it.
• Corruption
  There is agreement among black opinion-makers that corruption is a serious problem in South Africa. While some call on the State to fix the rot that has set in, others claim that the responsibility for ridding society of corruption begins with its citizens.
• Nationalisation
  Despite support for nationalisation from within the tripartite alliance, more black opinion-makers seem to be against the policy than favour it.
• Fast Stats

Contents:

• Monitoring freedom
  The Rainbow Index is an annual monitor of political and economic freedom in South Africa.It covers ten essential ‘pillarsof democracy’. On most pillars,scores have declined since 1994.

• Effective Government
  A key objective of the ruling party’s national democratic revolution is to ‘democratise’ all state organs by making them demographically representative and staffed with deployed cadres. The result, given the skills deficit, is increasing incompetence in the discharge of the State’s core responsibilities.

• Scope for free enterprise
  Economic growth rides on entrepreneurship, which can flourish only in a suitable environment. But the business climate has deteriorated, partly because of global factors but also because of over-regulation, poor skills and productivity, high costs and inadequate infrastructure, and threats of nationalisation from organisations allied to the ruling party.

• Growth-focused policies
  Rapid economic growth is vital to increased prosperity and the consolidation of democracy. However, South Africa has again fared badly on the five factors making for growth.

• Fast Stats

Contents:

•  Rainbow Index
  Living standards have risen strongly, but largely through unsustainable government spending. At the same time, key obstacles to black advancement - from family breakdown to uncaring teachers and a culture of dependency — remain unaddressed.
• Racial goodwill
  Racial goodwill is vital to South Africa, but continues to be undermined by laws requiring racial classification, racial counting, and racial preferences. Such laws are proving costly and have failed to help the truly disadvantaged, prompting criticisms from some of their earlier proponents.
• Good Citizenship
  Good citizenship is an essential foundation for liberal democracy, helping to reduce crime and other damaging behaviour. But ‘bad’  citizenship persists, evinced in rape and other criminal conduct, along with alcohol and drug abuse.
• Liberation of the Poor
  Social welfare has reduced poverty and improved living standards, while the rolling out of antiretrovirals to 1.4m people living with AIDS has reduced mortality and increased life expectancy.
• Fast Stats

Contents:

•  Rainbow Index
  The Institute’s Rainbow Index monitors South Africa’s performance on ‘ten pillars of democracy’, all of which are vital to political and economic freedom. Analysis and scores for 2010/11 are contained in this and the next two issues of Fast Facts.
• Democratic Governance
  In a local government election in May 2011 that was generally well-run, the African National Congress won 62% of the vote but nevertheless lost support everywhere except KwaZulu- Natal.
• Rule of Law
  New judiciary bills, though improved, still give the executive control over the administration and budgets of the courts.
• Individual Rights
  The Constitutional Court has confirmed the Government’s duty to act effectively against corruption, which erodes many individual rights.
• Media and Civil Society
  The Protection of Information Bill is again before Parliament, while proposals for a Media Appeals Tribunal have been revived. The South African Broadcasting Corporation continues to show a bias towards the ruling party.
• Fast Stats

Contents:

• Families
  A stable family life with both parents is the privilege of a minority of children. HIV/AIDS, poverty, and unemployment are contributing to a pattern of family breakdown that is handicapping many children.
• Families
  Fractured families: A crisis for South Africa.
• Fast Stats

Contents:

• Justice
  Democracy is supposed to make for accountability. But accountability is clearly absent as regards the polic e, the pris on, and our faltering criminal courts.
• Police
  Few penalties for police abuses.
• Police
  Charges laid against members of the South African Police Service and proportion of charges ending in conviction, 2009/10.
• Prisons
  ‘Shockin gly inhumane ’ tre atment of many awaiting-trial prisoners.
• Prisons
  New rules for remand detainees.
• Corruption
  Lessons from the Glenister judgment.
• Fast Stats

Contents:

• Families
  Unemployment, teenage pregnancy, crime, and drug and alcohol abuse all affect South Africa’s youth. Family breakdown, and the absence of fathers in particular, may contribute to these social ills.
• Families
  Broken families breaking youth
• Fast Stats

Contents:

• Education
  The results of the 2010 matric exams showed a significant improvement, but low standards risk setting South African pupils up for failure after school.
• Budget 2011
  Our annual budget analysis contains tables showing long and very long-term trends.
• Education
  National matric results.
  Provincial results.
  Subject results.
• Fast Stats

Contents:

• Labour
  Five bills building state and union powers: The Cabinet used the festive season to unveil five new bills: four on labour, one on land. All five supposedly aim to help the poor, but their predictable effect will be to worsen unemployment and build dependence on the State. 1
• Labour
  Four new Labour Bills: Cutting jobs to please Cosatu. 2-7
• Land
  Draft Land Tenure Security Bill: Flawed rationale and likely adverse outcomes. 8-11
• Fast Stats 12-16

Contents:

• South African Mirror
  The state of the country: The six pages that follow in this edition of Fast Facts provide as concise an overview as can be published of where South Africa has come from and where it may be headed. It is a story of mixed success. 1
• South African Mirror
  South African Mirror: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow. 2-7
• Fast Stats 8-12