In my previous article, “If SA parties were orchestras, they’d be so out of tune”, I underscored pillars sustaining successful orchestral ensembles. I juxtaposed orchestral narratives with launching party manifestos to attract votes. I stressed that orchestras are anchored on trust, order and competences to fuse diverse instruments into unified sounds that appeal to supporters.
Years of meticulous refining have produced orchestral leaders that understand the craft, diversity of skills set and competences for functional orchestras.
All these are anchored on leadership that understands and values collective expertise.
Regrettably, we cannot applaud political parties as exemplars of these rudimentary requirements for efficacy and effectiveness.
This applies to national, provincial and local governance structures. We have dysfunctional municipalities that parties are canvassing to win, while they have not appraised citizens about why these entities collapsed under their watch, albeit the usual blame narratives. It was not under our governance, albeit being part of the legislatures.
Dysfunctional municipalities operate under well-articulated policies and acts. There are ample guidelines on how to manage the fiscus, yet they continue to perform dismally to the detriment of service delivery. Could it be leadership or skills set/competence challenges? Managing tenders, rehabilitation of public infrastructure has been a nightmare.
Some places have had no running water for years, yet every electioneering period, parties promise more and deliver nothing. Is it because citizens just have no luck in choosing an effective and efficient party to deliver on the promises? It has nothing with bad luck. It is an inherent disability of political parties to step up and deliver services to citizens.
Orchestral ensembles are a practical example of how parties could transform from mediocre to excellent deliverers of public services. They do their best to be on top of the game.
Orchestral players and leaders understand the value of symbiotic relationships and strive to enhance them. Regrettably, we can't applaud political parties for being any wiser. Every year they fumble and falter, to the detriment of service delivery, and disappoint those who elected them to governance.
They have failed the SA constitution under our watch by always dropping the proverbial social justice ball – poor service delivery, rampant unemployment, rocketing crime and violence against women and children and affording citizens dignified spaces to enjoy democracy and freedom.
SA has no immediate solution to human settlements even after 27 years. Social disparities keep widening while some parties propose revamping settlement structures. Some promise cleaning the ANC mess across governance structures. Is that what SA needs – cleaning the mess?
When you read these manifestos there is dearth of creativity, innovation and pragmatic strategies to cross this 27 years' Rubicon of dysfunctional municipalities and leadership ineptitude.
We could learn more from orchestras about translating marshmallow manifestos into pragmatic, innovative tools to transform communities in perpetual service delivery perils. We could also brush up on symbiotic relationships for efficacious and effective governance.
Even nature beats us hands down. The mighty crocodiles enlist the plover birds for hygienic cleaning and buffaloes do similar. With that efficient symbiotic relationship, infections are minimised.
Regrettably, political parties only wake up during electioneering, pontificating rhetoric and marshmallow promises. Post electioneering is back to "can’t you see we are busy running the country".
Symbiotic relations enhance speedy resolution of public challenges. Turnaround time on public service delivery is not negotiable. It’s an oath the incumbents must submit to for overall development of the economy.
As former state president Nelson Mandela implored, let us “Seize the time to define ourselves, what we want to make of our shared destiny”. We want creativity and innovative leadership that lives excellence and marshals an integrated team to bring about real changes to ordinary citizens' lives.
We need pragmatic entropy to reimagine service delivery on education, health, safety and security, labour and employment, human settlements, water and sanitation, climate change and green energy, and smart and efficient distribution and management of resources.
Those accused of malfeasance must be speedily brought to justice. When all these are aligned under meritorious leadership and symbiotic teams, orchestral governance shall prevail and succeed.
• Monyooe is a Sowetan reader
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