Roelf Meyer, who was part of the negotiations during the country’s first transition from apartheid to democracy, says the days of one political party ruling South Africa are over.
In an interview about South Africa’s recent elections, he talks about the challenges that political parties face when their values or worldviews differ from each other. He goes on to explain the process they would have to follow to communicate their differences in a constructive way.
You seek agreement on the bigger issues and in the national interest. It’s easier to find agreement at the higher level. When you go down through the layers, you find various layers that are more difficult to agree on. The issues of land, education, the NHI, etc, are things that provide contemporary differences. You need to start with the subjects and values you can find agreement on. And work from there to tackle the differences one by one.
An extract from an interview with Roelf Meyer available on the Daily Maverick
Meyer continues and explains that it is important to find a model and put mechanisms in place that will help address these differences on which it is difficult to find agreement. This is where he mentions Jakes Gerwel (director-general in Madiba’s presidency) and how he was an excellent example of someone who could resolve difficult conversations and identify workable solutions.
One person who comes to mind is Jakes Gerwel. He could really bring people together. When people had problems, we often rushed to Jakes. He was very solution-oriented. That was one of the reasons Madiba chose him to be close to him. It was his natural attitude – he thought people were important and brought them together. That is the key, actually. You have to accept that you must put aside egos.
An extract from an interview with Roelf Meyer available on the Daily Maverick
He concludes the interview with a declaration that a new ruling order since 1994 must be built. It is the responsibility of the different political parties to build a relationship with each other, find common ground and start their discussions from there. He urges them not to try to look for what will cause a collapse, but to look for the binding of an agreement for the next five years.
Listen to the whole interview on YouTube via the link below:
You can also read an article on the interview on the Daily Maverick.
