It’s easy to think of "good governance" as a sort of middle-class thing, to do with surface issues (and, in the case of potholes, actual surfaces). A "nice-to-have", maybe. A seemingly modest promise that, when compared with the ANC and EFF’s dramatic pledges — to take back the land, to get rid of "white monopoly capital", to purge the country of racism and racists and so on — has a sort of namby-pamby feel to it. It lacks emotional resonance and is difficult to turn into sexy soundbites. It is "conservative", boring and perhaps even "white". So enamoured are the promulgators of our public discourse with the tropes of revolution — of overturning, upturning, recasting, upending, capsizing and toppling — that we have little rhetorical room for thoughts about fixing, repairing, revamping, maintaining and sustaining. The idea is that only the overturning of things as they stand will be good enough to make a dent in the desperate poverty of our people, or the staggering inequalities we f...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.