'The ANC's economic policy was to get blacks to live like whites' - Moeletsi Mbeki

This year marks the 30th anniversary of democracy in South Africa.

As the country heads to an all-important election, the milestone provides an opportunity to reflect on the past 30 years of an African National Congress-run government.

In his recent SONA, President Cyril Ramaphosa hailed the ANC's governance record since coming to power and maintained that the party has significantly improved the lives of South Africans since 1994.

So, what have been the ANC government’s successes and also its failures over the last 30 years?

Friedman suggests we should be asking a different question.

"The question we should really be asking is 'has South African democracy been a success?' Because a lot of things the ANC is blamed for it's not responsible for and a lot of the things the ANC takes credit for it wasn't responsible for."

Prof.Steven Friedman, Director of the Centre for the Study of Democracy at the University of Johannesburg and Rhodes University

Friedman says so far South Africa has failed to address any issues that run deeper than which party is running the country.

"At the moment, our problem is the ANC and our solution is no ANC and neither of those statement are true, we're dealing with really deep seated problems."

Prof.Steven Friedman, Director of the Centre for the Study of Democracy at the University of Johannesburg and Rhodes University

Friedman says even if the ANC were to find itself in opposition after the next election, nothing much would change in South Africa.

Mbeki says for him some of the ANC's biggest failures have come from the party's economic policy (or lack thereof).

"The economy was never a priority of the ANC...The priority of the ANC was to get blacks to live like whites and so they tried to squeeze as many blacks into the existing economy to try to live the standard of living of white people as they could. That was the ANC's economic policy."

Moeletsi Mbeki, political economist and analyst

In his recent Daily Maverick article, Mbeki highlighted the ANC's 'growing the black middle class through affirmative action as an employment policy in the public service and state' as one of five mortal sins committed by the party since it came to power.

"BBBEE in my view is a failure of the ANC."

Moeletsi Mbeki, political economist and analyst