Robert Mcbride: Sentiments, Ideologies and Moving Forward:


Corruption and Cadre deployments exist in every part of the world. Hell, the entire Western Neo liberal edifice is constructed on just that. I have great respect for Robert and other cadre`s who have performed so valiantly in the struggle against apartheid. For this, the ANC and the people of South Africa owe him and others like him a debt of gratitude. No, I am not going to argue “behaviour pre and post 1994”, even though there might be merit in such an argument and even though I believe that the ANC should accommodate him within their own structures rather than use state positions to reward cadres.  
No I am not going to use the race card either.
My concern rather, is the context of the appointment. Firstly it is the context of a contested state in which the levers of state power has become the key prize in an ongoing battle between the political elites who happen to be mainly located within the ANC, but which has also seen a growing fragmentation of the centre of power. I leave you to decide if Yeats is applicable yet.
It is also the context of rampant corruption and looting of state resources, as well as the increasing tendency of the state to utilize the police force to further personal and political agenda`s as well as to use the police to further the agenda of capital in the most murderous way. Not to mention the apparent unraveling of the police force itself with internal bickering and open aggression among members. All ostensibly linked to access to POWER.
African Scholars have identified a number of factors that foster and contribute to corruption in Africa and consequently leads to failed states which in turn implies, failed the people. Allow me to consider these and to try and identify where South Africa stands in this regard.
These are,
1.       The total exercise, by the ruling elite, of the state, of all power attached to national sovereignty. This includes the ability of the state to dispense patronage within in all sectors of the economy and the state. Despite rigorous constitutional limitations and institutions such as the Public Protectors Office, it would not be irrational to reach a conclusion which suggests that the South African state has been used in this fashion and that it continues to be used for the purpose of patronage.
2.     The expanded role of the state and an expanding bureaucracy. While it could be argued   that the South African State has adhered to the most rigorous neoliberal fiscal policies, the same cannot be said about its approach to the state bureaucracy. The state bureaucracy has expanded significantly. This was mainly to create employment in a stagnating employment environment, but has also more sinisterly been used as a conduit for patronage. The resultant effect of service delivery failure is another debate for another time. Suffice to say that opportunities for patronage has been democratised among the clients of the patrons which in turn leads to further patronage and so forth.
3.    Centralised Economic Activity. The state has followed neoliberal policy guidelines on this and has consistently engaged capital in allocating economic activity, which ironically has meant that it has received significant opposition and protests around its focus on high end economic practices such as building stadiums and elite trains and transport systems. The state has however followed Capitals lead on most major economic activities which have resulted in a considerable network of patronage and clientalism within the business arena. The range of corruption cases between business and state employees attest to this. In the states, defense however, this type of corruption has not yet led to the same level of developmental retardation seen on the rest of the continent.
4.    The lack of the rule of law. South Africa has not been subject to a blatant breakdown of the rule of law, and has one of the best legal systems on the continent if one uses an elitist and business conception of the law. The same cannot be said for the many poor communities who have been dispossessed of their land and livelihood but that is another discussion.  The point to consider here is the ability of patrons to manipulate the levers of the law to promote or hide their nefarious activities. Again there are numerous cases within South Africa that would attest to this, but again not to the same extent as found on the rest of the continent. The conviction of Jackie Selebi stands out as a beacon, even if it was driven by political considerations.The point though, is that there are other examples where the levers within the legal system has been used to avoid prosecution of the political elite.(No Names on this one....and No prizes for guessing)
5.    The lack of Exemplary leadership. Having a president who, at least on the surface, maintains a network of patronage does not provide the leadership one would expect of a once revolutionary movement that held the highest ideals of selflessness and sacrifice, and does not promote exemplary governance within both the state and the sociocultural domain. My firm belief is that people will do whatever they can get away with, and when your boss has his fingers in the cookie jar, and both you and he knows it, he is not exactly going to fire you for doing the same. As for Mcbride, this is not to say that he has his hands or will have his hands in the cookie jar, but it does raise some important issues about exemplary leadership, especially in such an important role of IPID, considering the analysis above of the Police increasingly being used as a lever of power by the political elites.

The question then for us to consider, cannot be confined to merely questions of transformation/race and liberalism, it has to include the objective realities of a contested future.

 This contestation is not only between the political elites for control of the state, but also the contestation of the state, by the forces of progress and development that seeks to place working class people not profits or rentier patronage, at the centre of the locus of power . 

 South Africa does not score well on the key factors that have contributed to corruption in Africa and this trend portends ill weather and rough seas ahead.(if not misery and poverty for the working classes)

The question then is not if Robert McBride is an appropriate candidate, but whether his appointment takes us forward towards a new horizon or whether it reinforces the status quo. 

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