A prominent academic has issued a damning critique of the current government, arguing that the nation’s crises—from crumbling cities to mass unemployment—cannot be continually blamed on apartheid and represent a catastrophic failure of leadership over the past three decades.
Professor Fulufhelo Netswera, Dean of the Faculty of Management Sciences at the Durban University of Technology, expressed these views in a detailed interview, expanding on a critical letter he authored for the Daily Maverick. In the letter, addressed to President Cyril Ramaphosa and the ANC National Executive Committee (NEC), Professor Netswera accuses the ruling party of setting black lives and generations back by “at least 100 years” through its failure to deliver on democratic promises, address corruption, and curb staggering unemployment.
The NEC is currently convening to address the dire state of municipalities, which Netswera described as a “gathering of thieves and criminals.” When asked to specify the reasons for these failures, the professor pointed to two core issues: a abandonment of meritocracy and systemic corruption.
“They abandoned the interest to appoint the most capable people in its body politic,” Netswera stated. He characterized the NEC as filled with individuals who “can sing and dance and talk rhetoric” rather than those who can deliver services. “Majority of them have forgotten that they are there to serve and not to be served,” he added, claiming their first priority upon appointment is often the luxury official vehicle they will receive.
On the topic of corruption, Netswera dismissed the notion that society is solely to blame for enabling graft. He called for leadership from the top, suggesting that if President Ramaphosa were to arrest and jail one or two senior ministers, it would send a powerful deterrent message throughout all levels of government. “The junior officials in the municipality would think about corruption and run away,” he argued.
A significant portion of the discussion challenged the persistent narrative that attributes all of South Africa’s current problems to apartheid. While acknowledging its historical impact, Netswera insisted it is no longer a valid excuse.
“Can we attribute the current unemployment rates to the state of apartheid? Can we attribute the poor education that we dish out to our kids… to apartheid? Can we attribute to apartheid the dismal state of our cities? I don’t think we should,” he said. He argued that had the government set tangible targets since 1994, the country would be in a far better position today.
To illustrate the regression, Netswera made a controversial comparison, noting that individuals who lived in the former apartheid-era homelands often report that basic services like roads and water were better managed then than in current municipalities. He cited the example of a major company like Clover leaving the North West province due to a lack of water and poor road infrastructure.
“We are not glorifying apartheid… we are saying you should have shown that you can perform much better than their system,” he clarified.
When presented with the government’s achievements, such as electrification, house building, and expanded education access, Netswera countered that the country has regressed by almost every development indicator. He pointed to South Africa having some of the world’s highest rates of inequality, youth unemployment (over 60%), and crime, labeling it the “criminal capital of the world.”
Looking forward, the professor expressed little confidence in the current leadership’s ability to change course, citing a chronic failure to “walk the talk” on corruption. He advocated for a practical solution to address youth disillusionment: the conscription of young people into a national service program.
He proposed that such a program could provide discipline and skills, directing youth toward building houses and installing infrastructure instead of wasting away. “This is a lost generation… Can’t we stop wasting money in tenders and use the very people to take over some of these responsibilities?” he asked.
Professor Netswera concluded that the responsibility must now pass to individuals, whether from a revamped ANC or other parties, who are “able, willing and ready” to run the country and unlock its immense potential.