Missed our chances

The best factual summary of the state of South Africa comes from the SA Institute of Race Relations in its annual “South Africa Survey”.

In clear and readable form, this authoritative survey shows trends for SA’s population, economy, education, health and crime.

This year the institute has also given a 20 page summary of “South Africa in Brief” in the October edition of its “Fast Facts”.

It makes interesting reading. Unfortunately it often makes grim reading. In 1985 life expectancy in South Africa was 62 years. In 2007 it was 50. It became 12 years shorter under President Mbeki than it had been under President P W Botha. The reason is Aids and the previous policy of the ANC to deny that HIV causes Aids and hinder the provision of antiretroviral drugs.

However, deaths from malaria came down dramatically from over 60 000 in 2000 to below 15 000 in 2006. This was thanks to the introduction of DDT, a safe and efficient way of combating the malaria mosquitoes. In 2007, the total South African population grew by 0,89% but the white population shrank by 0,11%, probably because of emigration.

From 1985 to 2007 there has been a constant decline in the birth rate, reflecting a worldwide trend of declining population growth. From 1995 to 2007, the enrolment at secondary schools went up but at primary schools went down. I don’t know why unless more and more little children are being orphaned and there is nobody to send them to school.

The number of school leavers with passes in maths was lower in 2007 than 2005. So was the number of matriculants with university entrance passes. Economic growth from 2000 to 2008 is estimated to be 4,2% a year. In the 1990s, it was 1,4%; the 1980s, 2,2%; the 1970s, 3,3%; and in the 1960s, 6%.

One of the grimmest statistics remains unemployment.

In 2007, including those who have given up looking for work, it was 38,3%.

Our unemployment rate, like our murder rate, is one of the highest in the world.

Reading though these figures over the last few decades, my strongest feeling was that of lost opportunities. We have let our education system decline, done little to stem violent crime and allowed millions to die unnecessarily from Aids.

We feel the silent reproach of a multitude of souls, of the dead and the living, whom South Africa has failed.