Some of South Africa’s political and civic leaders are preparing to gather later this week for the “National Convention” – a meeting of minds to diagnose our country’s deep-seated problems and chart a path forward. The premise sounds noble. However, if history is any guide, the outcome will likely be more glossy documents, warm soundbites, and solemn handshakes – followed by business as usual.

South Africa has had no shortage of summits, indabas, and conferences over the past three decades. We’ve talked about corruption and have a National Anti-Corruption Strategy on paper. We’ve talked about economic growth and social cohesion. But while we’ve been talking, corruption has entrenched itself, service delivery has deteriorated, and our institutions have been hollowed out. For too long, many key leaders and decision-makers have failed to support action to repair weakened accountability mechanisms.

The real crisis is not a shortage of conversation – it is a shortage of action. Specifically, a shortage of consistent adherence to the rule of law and the application of meaningful consequences for wrongdoing. Our Constitution and legal framework are not the problem; our unwillingness to enforce them without fear or favour is.

Too often, public officials who have plundered state resources are recycled into new posts, or allowed to quietly resign before facing charges. Commissions of inquiry produce damning findings, only for many of their more pointed recommendations to gather dust. This is not because the solutions are unknown – it is because implementing them would require confronting powerful vested interests.

In this environment, a “National Convention” risks becoming a stage-managed production – a way to create the illusion of progress while avoiding the discomfort of real accountability. The most pressing need is leadership that displays the will to do the basics:

  • Investigate corruption swiftly and competently.
  • Prosecute without regard to political affiliation.
  • Freeze suspect assets and recover stolen funds and property.
  • Remove those unfit from public office.

If leaders want to restore public trust, they should start by demonstrating that the law applies equally to everyone – from the highest office-bearer to the lowest official and contracted service provider. Without this, no amount of convention or dialogue will repair the social contract.

South Africans are asking for a government and elected representatives that uphold laws and a society where consequences are real, not theoretical. We do not need a convention to say this out loud. We need leaders to act as if they believe it.

In the end, South Africa’s future will not be decided around a convention table. It will be decided in courtrooms, in disciplinary hearings, in procurement offices, and in the daily decisions of whether we choose to enforce the rules we already have. Until that changes, talk will continue – and so will the decay.

ENDS

Jay Kruuse, Director, Public Service Accountability Monitor (PSAM), Rhodes University