NELSON Mandela believed in planning. Thirty years before the first post-apartheid census undertaken in 1996, he could not be more explicit.

In a letter he wrote to Adelaide Tambo from prison, Madiba said, “Significant progress is always possible if we ourselves plan every detail and allow intervention of fate only on our own terms.”

Statistics South Africa was releasing the results of the 1996 Census and Madiba was launching these to the nation. The census reflected a South Africa, two years old after the breakthrough of 1994.

Mandela noted the evidence in the results that within the space of two years South Africa made significant progress in health, education as well as the provision of electricity.

The 1996 Census could affirm that the enrolment rate shot through the roof accompanied by universal feeding schemes at primary schools. The provision of electricity too showed a significant increase in the numbers. It was a truism that what had been impossible for centuries was handled right away, within two years, and surely miracles would only take a little longer.

Mandela said at the release of the Census 96, “But we do at last have results with which we can work, numbers that count for the nation! It will take time to absorb the full detail of this intricate picture of our complex society. But the broad outlines should act as a clarion call to rededicate ourselves, in every sector of our society, to the historic mission of a generation charged with transforming South African society in order to eradicate the poverty and imbalances that derive from our past.

They show a society in which the lines between rich and poor were, with little qualification, the historical lines of a racially divided society.”

In appreciating these signs of success, Madiba would say, “This picture was drawn mid-way through our country's first democratically elected the government, when the programmes of socio-economic change were only beginning to gather pace. We are right to take pride in the fact that in the two years since then, the character of our society has been changing day by day, through an active partnership of government, communities, and the structures of civil society including the private sector. The installation since then of some three quarters of a million telephones; the connection of about a million households to the electricity grid; and the supply of clean water to another 1.8 million people do improve the situation.”

He would appeal to all, especially the Whites, to ensure that their skills are put to good use and extended to those who have been disadvantaged and be put to good use to rebuild South Africa.

In this regard, the 2001 Census showed that miracles would take only a little longer and by the report of 2011, ten years later, electricity coverage for lighting in the country had become universal with the exception of uMkhanyakude where the name – light from afar - remained prophetic. uMkhanyakude could only see light from afar.

An assessment of progress or lack thereof in South Africa using new instruments of power, the multidimensional poverty index (MPI) show that from 2001 to 2011 poverty was monotonically reducing in all 252 municipalities and significantly so headcount poverty.

But from 2011 to 2016, a third of the municipalities significantly reversed the gains made in the first 15 years of democracy.

Worse is to be expected in the years 2016 to 2024 once the income and expenditure survey results are mounted and out so that they can be juxtaposed at the municipality level against the 2022 Census data - proving that the development charter of South Africa has been one of two halves.

The world has pledged that nuclear is green - this is a technology South Africa once prided itself on. Koeberg stands out as evidence of how far advanced South Africa was in the development of technologies of the future. Madiba would have appealed, especially to White South Africans, on the skills they possessed to build the country.

Where we excelled and were the heroes, we are now zero. We, therefore, need to invoke what Madiba asked us to do.

Madiba’s thoughts would not be on enrolment, but demanded quality explicitly when he said, “I want schools which are properly equipped so that our children should be able to grasp these sophisticated concepts.”

More importantly, he understood what the country stood to lose if we do not heed what he said.

The fundamental difference, which ought to be considered, is that in previous governments, the incumbents were trained in governance and able to go to schools, universities, technikons teacher training institutions, thus acquiring knowledge, skills and expertise. So, they were proficient, because of that training.

What is more, you are dealing with a white minority where the environment at school is the same as at home, because white parents have a high level of academic qualification. A white child coming back home generally gets more professional assistance from their parents in an environment of relaxation than a black child. White children statistically have a better chance of eating well and ample accommodation for studying and concentration than a black child.

Unfortunately, higher education since Madiba's time has hardly changed. Every year of the 1.3 million children born only 250 000 will complete high school with a reasonable pass, but only 180000 places are available to enter university.

Another 300 000 will get an exit certificate from matric but their diploma and certificate count for very little. We, therefore, put to waste more than 800 000 souls every year. There is no inter-generational value for Blacks and Coloureds. This is the tragedy we face and the four censuses provide ample evidence for no inter-generational value to these two population groups.

This is a result of not paying attention to what Madiba said.

What is the position with the blacks in this country with Africans, Coloureds and Indians?

In most cases historically they were excluded from schools, to say even less of tertiary education, because of the lack of facilities. They could not go to the best schools in the country and the environment between the school and the home was totally different.

These children come home to parents, some of whom have never seen the inside of a school - housing facilities where about five children share one room, sleeping on the floor, where children have to study on the floor with candlelight. Cry, the beloved country.

Dr Pali Lehohla is a Professor of Practice at the University of Johannesburg, a Research Associate at Oxford University, a board member of Institute for Economic Justice at Wits and a distinguished Alumni of the University of Ghana. He is the former Statistician-General of South Africa.

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