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Recently released Human Development Report (HDR) indicates that South Africa's ranking has decreased by six places between 2005 and 2010
Report highlights ANC government's failure to effectively address basic aspects of country's development
DA calls for the 2010 Human Development Report to be debated in Parliament

The recently released Human Development Report (HDR), compiled by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), offers telling insights into the progress made by South Africa in key development areas such as health, education, poverty and inequality, after 16 years of ANC rule.

With a current rank of 110 out of 169 countries, South Africa's position in the Human Development Index rankings has decreased by six places over the last five years. Most concerning is that South Africa is named as one of six sub-Saharan countries that have seen a decline in life expectancy over the past 40 years. Furthermore, South Africa is one of six African countries in which life expectancy has fallen below 1970 levels over the past two decades.

Life expectancy is the most basic assessment of a country's ability to provide the fundamental conditions necessary for the survival of its population. It is closely linked to levels of poverty, on one hand, and the provision of basic services by the government, on the other. Successive ANC administrations have been unable to deliver on both these counts.

The ANC's compromised political position, given its alliance with trade union COSATU and its consequent resistance to tackling firmly entrenched labour regulation, has severely impeded its ability to stimulate the levels of job creation necessary to have a meaningful impact on poverty. Furthermore, the ruling party's determination to pursue its deeply problematic policy of cadre deployment, and its aversion to accountability, have led to gross mismanagement in critical areas of the public sector, such as healthcare and education.

While President Zuma's administration has made impressive strides in the management of its HIV/AIDS programme and in taking steps to undo his predecessor's legacy of AIDS denialism, the serious problems that continue to face the country's public healthcare system threaten to undermine the commendable progress that has been made. The impact of underqualified and inexperienced cadres on the management of the country's public healthcare system, and the failure of successive ANC administrations to establish basic oversight bodies to monitor the state of public hospitals, such as an Office of Standards Compliance, require immediate attention if life expectancy levels are to be stabilized.

While problems with accessibility of healthcare have largely been tackled by the ANC government, the quality of healthcare received in the public sector is, in many cases, dire. The same principle applies to the education sector, where high levels of spending and enrollment have not translated into improvements in the quality of schooling. The maths scores of South African children, described as "abysmally low" in this year's Human Development Report, are in stark contrast to the sizeable budget allocated to education each year, and the relative accessibility of education institutions.

The ANC government's hostility to openness and transparency - as seen in its sweeping rejection of international appraisals of South Africa's development and the often poor quality and infrequent availability of national statistics - has had a negative impact on its ability to improve delivery. The availability of regularly released, accurate data is an essential component of monitoring progress and conducting oversight. It is therefore a crucial requirement for ensuring accountability.

Without the ability to effectively track its performance, the political will to face the truth about its successes and failures and the desire to hold underperforming appointees accountable, corruption and poor service delivery under the ANC government will continue.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) calls on the Zuma administration to begin reversing this trend by engaging openly about South Africa's performance in international surveys of development. As the first step, the DA will be submitting a motion to request that the findings of the Human Development Report be debated in Parliament.