Fighting for the Dream

by R.W. Johnson

RW JOHNSON'S BEST-SELLING How Long Will South Africa Survive? was hailed by financial writer Alec Hogg as 'a masterpiece in unblemished reality'. Published at the height of the Zuma presidency, it accurately forecast that South Africa's credit rating would be downgraded to junk status. Johnson warned that this sorry progress might end in an IMF bail-out and wholesale change to the political system. These predictions, novel at the time, were quickly confirmed by events. Now, with Cyril Ramaphosa in the hot seat and an election looming. Johnson picks up the story, analysing how Ramaphosa came to power and how Zuma has fought back. Recovery from the deep economic damage caused by Zuma will not be easy and the prospect of an IMF bail-out is now measurably closer. The key question is whether Ramaphosa and his supporters can restore the lost dream of the Mandela years. Johnson is easily the most incisive analyst of the South African situation. He offers his own suggestions for a road out of the crisis and a tough-minded assessment of where the country stands at this critical hour.

Genres: South Africa, Politics

258 pages, Paperback

Published March 27, 2019

About the author

R. W. Johnson is a British-South African journalist and historian. Born in England, he was educated at Natal University and Oxford University, as a Rhodes Scholar. He was a fellow in politics at Magdalen College, Oxford, for twenty-six years; he remains an emeritus fellow. He was formerly Director of the Helen Suzman Foundation in Johannesburg.

He is currently a South Africa correspondent for the London Sunday Times and also writes for the London Review of Books. His articles for the LRB generally cover South African and, to a lesser extent, Zimbabwean affairs.

~http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._W._Jo...

Reviews

[John Endres · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sobering and insightful. Bill Johnson has a knack for drawing together information from disparate sources to draw a sketch of the nation as it is, unvarnished, blemished and under great strain. The first part of the book rambles a bit (although it offers many tasty tidbits), but the latter part is very strong. Recommended read.

[Ed Stoddard · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sobering and insightful look at South Africa's precarious political, social and economic predicament. IMF here we come ...

[Valencia · Rating 1 out of 5]

For me more than anything, this book has an underlying tone of a disdain for blacks and thinking that whites are better suited to running the country even going as far as to state that apartheid government governed better which is laughable.
Most if not all the black people in high ranking positions are deemed undeserving. I absolutely loathe reading this to the point that the valid points made in certain instances flew over my head.
We all know that the current government is failing and a few reforms are needed and that could have easily been highlighted without bashing a whole race.
This book is absolutely nothing to write home about actually.

[Evert de Ruiter · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Not a review... Just a quick observation) Again the Don doesn’t disappoint. This is a must-read for Saffers who believe in the promise of a better country for all.

[Zulu Fox · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars. If you’re looking for a sharp, clear-eyed, hyper-critical and well-argued critique of what’s wrong with South Africa / the ANC, this is it. Johnson is a real pleasure to read. The man spits hot fire and pulls no punches, you’ll be left with no doubt as to where he stands.

Especially if you’re interested in SA and just trying to understand what went wrong, this book is a great and up-to-date explanation (postmortem?), and also a rallying cry for reform. Granted, one or two chapters get a little too into the weeds for most readers, and unless you’re exceptionally interested in the internecine struggles of some secondary figures, you might find yourself skimming through some sections. But, on balance, highly readable and engaging.

While Johnson is an astute observer of SA and provides a highly compelling and (I think) basically correct analysis, at times he slightly overstates his case and ignores evidence to the contrary. For example, while outlining the problems in the DA, Johnson rightly points out the issues with Mmuse Maimane, but neglects some of the very real electability issues of Hellen Zille, and probably doesn’t take seriously enough the notion that for the DA to have a chance at being electable on a national level, it would, in fact, need a black leader (who is also competent and liberal, of course).

While on the DA leadership issue Johnson is an ideologue and a romantic (I.e. the head of the DA should be the best person for the job regardless of race) when it comes to certain other things, he proclaims himself forced into neo-liberal positions by cold hard reality: for example, on the issue of water, Johnson argues water-provision should be privatized because the ANC has mismanaged it so thoroughly. He goes on to deride the notion of water as a human right. This is probably the weakest argument of the book. While Johnson claims to be a social Democrat at heart, I think the notion of water as a public good (and a prerequisite to the right to life) probably isn’t as crazy as he makes it out to be. But anyways this misfire of a policy proposal doesn’t detract from his poignant analysis of South Africa’s ills.

Highly recommended.

[D · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book on the South Africa under the ANC. The book starts with the parties internal politics and then sums up what happened under South Africa's difference ANC presidents. He then moves on to the countries current position and provides a very pessimistic outlook. It seems South Africa will be unable to avoid an IMF bailout. The ANC has no will to reform and Johnson's analysis shows why. I also find his analysis of the weakness of the DA very explanatory.

Fighting the Dream makes for an interesting comparison with my recent reading. I was surprised how South Africa's ruling elite differ from Angola's as presented in Magnificent and Beggar Land. Angola seems much more unified and united, a true ruling class. There also appears to be no entity that has been preserved from corruption in South Africa, as Sonangol was protected in Angola. Its also interesting to see how South Africa essentially missed the moment in the 90's when African nations were forced toward liberalization and the Washington consensus which explains the difference in attitudes today between Zambia (the ANC's base in exile) and South Africa. Fighting the Dream is probably 50 pages too long but still a great introduction to contemporary South Africa.

[Tim Richman · Rating 4 out of 5]

RW Johnson is, in my opinion, the clearest impartial strategic analyst of SA politics currently writing. All the requisite authority in what he says, in terms of both his political and academic credentials, and conveyed in an understandable and relateable way, unlike so much political writing.
Might have had 5 stars except for it being a rather depressing read...

[Claudia Agostinelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

An eye-opener of a book, sketching a frightening picture of the position in which South Africa has found itself while simultanously painting a picture of hope if only a few smart decisions are made.
I found the book slighlty repetitive (hence the four stars) but a wonderful read nonetheless.

[Tommi Svinhufvud · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting read on how South Africa got from the dream in 1994 to where it is now, a highly corrupt and nearly bankrupt country in dire straits, with a bleak future ahead, unless things turn around dramatically.

[Alex Rogers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another update on South african history, taking us through the end of the Zuma regime and into Ramaphosa. Like his last book, this felt like it should have been much more tightly edited, and issued as a 5-yearly update to his post-apartheid SA masterpiece, SA's Brave New Word.

[Alexaki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Must read for all South Africans in order to prepare for the next decade under ANC rule.