Elements of social cohesion, specifically racism and xenophobia, are seen as some of the main threats to the governance performance of the South African government, states a new report released on Tuesday. Another significant issue of concern is that of corruption, where the government has done little to curb graft and implement measures of accountability and transparency.

The report, entitled ‘Implementing the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) – Views from civil society’, grades South Africa’s governance performance as set out in the National Programme of Action (NPoA) in terms of how the NPoA reflects the priorities identified by the APRM monitoring mechanism.

Speaking at the launch, Public Protector Thuli Madonsela said she recognised the importance of government actively engaging with civil society to identify problems and address them effectively. “This will encourage public dialogue on key issues and enhance the accountability and transparency of the State, a key element in an effective democracy,” she said.

According to the report, the country has struggled to effectively manage its diversity owing to a high level of social mistrust, which has made it difficult to build a nonracial society. Strong economic disparities between the racial groups along with the rising levels of xenophobia are areas the State has failed to address, which is evident in its exclusion from the country’s NPoA.

Crime and corruption was also flagged as a major cause for concern, with the government having done little to address the problem. The report states that questionable appointments to government positions, the politicisation of positions and other politically motivated actions have hindered efforts to curb graft and undermined transparency in the public sector. The relationship between party and State has also become blurred, with the report identifying this as a major threat to governance.

The report grades key governance performance areas according to three codes: green, which represents substantial progress; orange, representing mixed progress and red, indicating no progress at all. The report, compiled in partnership with the African Governance Monitoring and Advocacy Project, the South African Institute of International Affairs and the Centre for Policy Studies, rates South Africa’s overall performance as orange, which indicates that some progress has been made, but there is great room for improvement.