Election Promises: Build One South Africa

Heres what BOSA says about health issues.

BOSAs manifesto doesnt mention universal health coverage or the National Health Insurance (NHI) scheme. Universal health coverage, which gives everyone access to the same basic health services, regardless of whether they can pay for it, is a 2030 sustainable development goal . At the moment, South Africa has a two-tier (public and private) health system. The NHI Bill is the governments plan for rolling out universal healthcare.

In its only direct mention of the healthcare system, BOSA promises reliable public health services. Overall, the partys manifesto is a plan to create jobs. In this context it mentions that the country faces a critical shortage of doctors because of red tape and bad financial management, which caused the systemic collapse of [among others] healthcare.

South Africa has eight doctors for every 10 000 people, according to 2021 data from the World Health Organisation . This is about half the global average. However, the country is training more doctors than it can hire because of budget constraints. Doctors who do have jobs in the state sector arent paid enough , though, said the South African Medical Association last year.

While the science around climate change is clear, BOSAs manifesto says it wants to encourage debates about the right mix of renewable energy and fossil-fuel energy, as well as whether nuclear energy might be appropriate. It mentions renewable energy when it speaks about revamping the countrys electricity sector and getting private providers involved in generating power as part of the partys overall mission to create jobs.

BOSA promises to use natural resources in the best way and adopt forward-looking renewable and decentralised energy so that the country will have reliable and environmentally sustainable electricity provision, whether its nuclear power generated by small reactor units or comes from coal. The party hasnt set specific goals in changing the energy mix and doesnt suggest sources for funding. BOSAs manifesto doesnt mention the targets South Africa agreed to for achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050 or a just transition, which is about making sure that people who work in industries that rely on fossil fuels now wont lose their jobs unfairly. Net zero refers to the amount of greenhouse gases we emit (mostly from burning coal, oil and gas in producing electricity or fuelling vehicles) balancing with the amount the Earths ecosystems are able to absorb naturally, so that theres no build-up of these gases in the atmosphere where they form a layer that traps heat and results in the Earth heating up. To keep global warming, as a result of too many greenhouse gases emitted into the air, to a level at which the Earth continues to be liveable, greenhouse gas emissions need to be reduced by 45% by 2030 and we need to reach net zero by 2050 . More than 140 countries, including South Africa, signed up to the Paris Agreement to show their commitment to reaching these goals. Each country has individual targets that feed into the global vision, depending on how much they contribute to climate change. Read about South Africas targets here .

Food security gets a passing reference in BOSAs manifesto which it calls a jobs plan when it mentions that close to 14-million South Africans have inadequate access to food. The countrys latest general household survey shows 22% of people didnt have enough food in 2022 . That works out to just over 13-million people.

BOSA doesnt specify how it will address food security while working on removing barriers that stop people from moving to a better financial position.

The BOSA manifesto doesnt mention plans for handling social grants, a basic income grant or any other form of social security. However, it does say that the current social grants are a pittance and calls the South African Social Security Agency incompetent in administering the money. Instead, through its jobs plan, BOSA wants people to add value to the marketplace and contribute to the economic and social needs of the country. BOSA says it will also introduce a year-long voluntary national civilian service programme for school-leavers to bring young people into the economy. They will get work-based training in fields such as community healthcare, thereby gaining work experience while earning a small allowance. While volunteer or intern programmes can provide access to training and experience, they can come with pitfalls that need to be worked through, like being underpaid , emotional stress and inadequate support.

The BOSA manifesto doesnt mention plans for handling social grants, a basic income grant or any other form of social security. However, it does say that the current social gran