The threat of corruption perhaps the major affront to real democratic reform, and continues to dominate the political process. Non Governmental Organisations are mostly funded from outside the African States and therefore unable to support political parties. Dr Chongwe complains that honest political parties must work from their own resources with no remuneration, while a corrupt incumbent party can use the public safe and publicly owned media indiscriminately to strengthen itself and the single party mentality. In the former single part system, there was no need for platforms or manifestos. Resources used for campaigning were national, not private, and thus corruption was negligible. Now, candidates resort to either dirty money from drug dealers and corrupt businessmen, the public safe (if incumbent), or vast promises which are beyond the capacity of any single member of Parliament.

False Promises

Promises of accelerated development in the form of industrialisation programs are made, where what is often needed is subsistence agriculture and less reliance on international donor aid for developmental projects such as dams and irrigation. There is no labour shortage, and over-reliance on international donor aid for such projects contributes to the high unemployment statistics. South Africa has 34% unemployment, with an additional 11% underemployed (1996). False promises of ‘improvements’ inspired by visions of modern life create high expectations in the people, the resulting disillusionment making ideal conditions for them to riot, asking for what they believe is rightfully theirs. Equating political reform with immediate economic improvement is mostly responsible.

But what else is to be expected? Poverty breeds the demand for quick and visible solutions, and this is by no means constrained to Southern Africa. Fascist mass-murderers like Hitler and Milosevic were elected democratically, because they offered quick and visible solutions to the people’s impoverishment, albeit through complete centralisation and scapegoatism. It is impossible for democracy to grow on the basis of such underlying conflicts.

Internal Conflict

Endless tit-for-tat conflict and makes democratic reform seem hopeless to the people. It makes no difference to their suffering, for example, if their head of state is a civilian or from the military. One drawback of the multi-party system is that parties are formed and aligned to exploit existing ethnic or religious differences. The conflict in Angola- referred to by many as ‘the world’s forgotten war’- claimed tens of thousands of lives in 1993 alone, with enormous suffering to the civilian population. The fighting was so intense and widespread that for the first time since 1979 the Red Cross had to evacuate most of its staff from its offices in Huambo and Kuito. South Africa itself, perhaps the key to the region’s stability has seen its post-apartheid reforms offset by continual internal violence, the gang wars, racial attacks and politically motivated crime always prominent in world news.

Corruption, incumbency, nepotism, unrealistic promises, and intimidation are often still regarded as vital tools for acquiring and maintaining power. This is perhaps the most unfortunate legacy of colonial rule. For continuous Democracy to have a chance in the Southern African States, institutional reform must be coupled with a respect for democratic principles such as recognition of differing political opinions, and accountability and responsibility of their leaders and human rights, so that the political process is no longer simplistically seen as a winner-takes-all war.