A Crtical Role for CELD - A view from board memeber Rory Riordan

2002. By Rory Riordan, Executive Director Human Rights Trust, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Municipality, South Africa & Member of CELD Board of Directors

The 1990s began (February 1990) with the announcement of the freeing of Nelson Mandela and other political prisoners and the beginning of negotiations between the then ruling National Party and Nelson Mandela’s African National Congress.

Four years later, in April 1994, South Africa held its first democratic election. Mr. Mandela was inaugurated as President, to head a government of national unity with Mr. F.W. de Klerk of the National Party as one of the two Deputy Presidents.

Eight further years have passed, and government is consolidated and functioning. South Africa is a democratic nation. It is enjoying periodic national and local elections and is governed under a constitution that is a world-leader in its provision of human rights for its citizens. While huge social problems continue to clog our country’s progress (crime, HIV/Aids, unemployment and massive poverty being just a few), we do enjoy functioning institutions of government at a national, provincial and local government. The foundation is in place for a full attack on our social ills.

Can this attack be successful if led, run, monitored and evaluated by government alone?

International models suggest that the answer is no – government must be underpinned by a vigorous civil society and nongovernmental network in order to be at its most efficient and successful.

Regretfully this aspect of South Africa is very weak. For example, a recent study conducted by Agrisystems Ltd of the UK into the state of the non-governmental sector in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa led to the following conclusions:

• NGO sector in the Eastern Cape is extremely fragmented and under resourced, with limited capacity to deliver the different services NGOs typically deliver.
• There are very few NGOs operating in the province, which can still trace their history back to the early 1990s. Many NGOs involved with communities in the early 1990s or late 1980s have closed, and the ‘newer’ NGOs are generally struggling to survive.
• NGOs in the Province have suffered a material exodus of highly qualified and competent staff to either Provincial or local government, or to the private sector.
• Most NGOs operating in the Eastern Cape are extremely localised, the successful ones have focused on relatively small geographical areas and have targeted a specific sector to work within.

In an environment of this type – an environment of coherent, well-funded government facing massive social ills, the lack of civil society structures is nothing short of disastrous. They must be rebuilt, and every effort in this regard is so valuable. The Eastern Cape Province has a population of over 6 million people, sharing a GDP per capita of about $US 900 (half of South Africa’s average). It has institutions of government but no civil society structures. Plainly, whatever can be done to change this is effort well spent. In such an environment, the Coalition for Effective Local Democracy is an important institution and has a critical role to play in strengthening local civic infrastructure. The Coalition has worthy Trustees, and a mandate to create civil society where it may not now exist. It has an effective track record in this regard, is well respected in South Africa and, if properly resourced, could make an enormous difference.

We have just witnessed the conclusion of the World Summit on Sustainable Development held in our country. The end included the continuous jeering of the speech delivered by the United States Secretary of State, Mr. Colin Powell. We live in an environment when US/World relations require sensitive promotion by committed people. The Coalition is an ideal vehicle for promoting the type of people to people support that Alexis de Tocqueville identified as the best that comes from your great country, the United States. The Coalition has a successful track record in working in the Third World, and particularly in the civil society / government interface. The Coalition is the ideal organization to spearhead this initiative, which I command to your attention, and request for it your every support.