Twenty years of South African democracy Citizen views of human rights, governance and the political system by Susan Booysen i Contents List of tables .................................................................................................................................................. v List of diagrams ............................................................................................................................................. v Acronyms ..................................................................................................................................................... vi Abbreviations and colloquial and commercial terms used in the narratives .............................................. vii Distribution of focus groups by province .................................................................................................... viii Executive Summary ................................................................................................................................... 1 Section 1: Introduction: objectives, methodology, analysis and political context .................................... 4 1.1 Introduction and objectives of the study ............................................................................................ 4 1.2 Methodology and implementation of the study ................................................................................ 4 1.3 Use of quotations in this report .......................................................................................................... 6 1.4 Report structure .................................................................................................................................. 9 Section 2: Human rights, change and daily life in communities across South Africa .............................. 11 2.1 Introduction and synopsis of main findings ...................................................................................... 11 2.2 It is a different , much-transformed South Africa .............................................................................. 12 The Constitution and implementation problems ............................................................................... 12 Uneven realization and expectations of more .................................................................................... 13 2.3 Change is imperfect, but black people are in power and there is hope ........................................... 14 Racial dignity and human pride .......................................................................................................... 14 Small-town racism and inequality before the law .............................................................................. 15 Minority group experiences of racism ................................................................................................ 16 New race-class inequalities ................................................................................................................. 16 Women’s rights and gender roles – affirmations of change .............................................................. 17 Children’s rights – celebration and shortfalls ..................................................................................... 18 Low-key xenophobia ........................................................................................................................... 18 2.4 Hope and socio-economic transformation – living the life of realized rights, with gaps ................. 18 Education is better, with provisos ...................................................................................................... 20 Opportunities for business and enterprise ......................................................................................... 21 Food parcels and feeding schemes for children ................................................................................. 21 Health care is better, with exceptions ................................................................................................ 22 Housing is much improved, but hovels remain .................................................................................. 22 Access to water, electricity and sewerage services ............................................................................ 23 Land ..................................................................................................................................................... 24 ii 2.5 Economic freedom with unemployment .......................................................................................... 25 The problem of politicians and hollow job promises .......................................................................... 26 Unemployment and cronyism............................................................................................................. 27 Crime, and links to unemployment ..................................................................................................... 27 Drugs, alcohol, gangs and crime ......................................................................................................... 28 Section 3: Political system, leaders and the institutions of South African democracy ........................... 30 3.1 Introduction and synopsis of findings ............................................................................................... 30 3.2 Longing for the days of ‘Mandela democracy’ .................................................................................. 31 3.3 The trusted parent, with mixed feelings ........................................................................................... 32 The parent and the government of the rich ....................................................................................... 33 3.4 Experiences and impressions of national, provincial and local government .................................... 34 3.5 Public service across the levels of government ................................................................................ 36 3.6 Political executive, Public Protector and Constitutional Court ......................................................... 37 The political executive ........................................................................................................................ 37 Constitutional Court ............................................................................................................................ 38 Public Protector .................................................................................................................................. 38 3.7 Police and the court system – crises of confidence .......................................................................... 39 Personal safety as a compromised human right ................................................................................. 39 Inequality and corruption at the hands of the police and the courts ................................................. 40 Section 4: Public participation, engagement with the system and the media ........................................ 43 4.1 Introduction and synopsis of main findings ...................................................................................... 43 4.2 Public participation, self-help and community help ......................................................................... 43 4.3 Bottom-up perspectives on how the system of representation could work .................................... 45 4.4 Sympathy for protest and strike action ............................................................................................ 47 4.5 The mass media, political awareness and amplification of people’s voices ..................................... 48 The media creating national citizens .................................................................................................. 49 The media as extension of people’s voice .......................................................................................... 50 Section 5: Voting and party political choice .............................................................................................. 52 5.1 Introduction and synopsis of main findings ...................................................................................... 52 5.2 Commitment to vote, albeit not the time of euphoria anymore...................................................... 53 Voting improves job prospects ........................................................................................................... 54 Citizen duty and earning the right to criticize ..................................................................................... 54 Defending liberation ........................................................................................................................... 55 iii Hope for more delivery ....................................................................................................................... 55 5.3 Why many South Africans may not vote come Election 2014 .......................................................... 55 ‘Hollow words’ make voters feel it is futile to vote ............................................................................ 56 5.4 Election campaigns and the cynical South African voter .................................................................. 57 5.5 The political parties and Election 2014 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