Dear Sir,
First of all let it be said that our country is not an easy country to govern. Our difficult history, stemming from the huge migrations of peoples southward, to the clash of interests between tribes and empires, the confusion engendered by differing cultures and creeds, as well as the alarming disparity in levels of wealth and material well-being of our peoples. Our leap of faith as we moved forward from April, 1994 was full of expectation – unrealistic, in some cases, but also realistic and healthy expectations for a fairer dispensation and ongoing improvement in standards all round for the majority of our people.
Unfortunately, for the nineteen years since April, 1994, we have watched, with increasing dread, our governing party battle to rise to the challenge that our beloved country represents. It’s not that the job was, or is, an impossible task. Our nation of people still generates an enormous font of positive energy. We are still a dynamic bunch. Charitable events /causes always evoke huge responses, and there are many organizations comprising people who selflessly devote huge amounts of time and resources to helping those in need.
A vacuum of power, leadership and accountability has arisen because of our national government’s policy of ‘cadre deployment’. This is a self-serving policy employed by an elitist political clique to retain the reins and trappings of power. Instead of ill-suited, inept people being appointed at all significant management levels, dedicated career professionals should be filling key positions in government and the administration. The good news is that most of our tertiary education institutions are producing high-quality graduates and such career professionals will be available when called upon to serve.
There are clear signs that our political environment is starting to change. The days of the power and responsibility vacuum in our national life are numbered. Our people are starting to flex their muscles in terms of increasing service delivery protests (nation-wide, almost one per day), a groundswell of opposition to rampant corruption and maladministration. Opinion polls confirm that the ruling party is losing ground. All of these factors will lead better accountability and responsibility in all vital aspects of governance.
Although the gainsayers are always ready to emphasize the negatives, the greater truth is that wherever South Africans ‘rub shoulders’, one with the other in everyday life, be it in the spiritual or social sense, be it in the work place, in schools, in universities, in sport, etc., we combine well across all the racial and cultural lines which define our rich national tapestry. This is the largely untold story of our beloved country – a story that will never go away. This is a country with a God-given destiny. The vast majority of us who call this country our home, our hope and our future are aware of this - any negative factors or influences which hold true at any given time, or which arise, will not take this away from us.
One of our greatest resources is our people who, more often than not, prove to be an asset wherever they go in the world, in terms of being hard-working and productive members of society. We hear of this daily, on an ongoing basis. In spite of how well they have done, there are many (and some who have done extremely well) that come ‘home’ by choice. They are not ‘in fear of the future’ - they say things like ‘we have come back because we know that South Africa has a bright future’. They return with their positive energy without reserve, willingly, unconditionally.
In the main, we are a well-grounded society with good values. There exists a dynamic between us that is always ready to reach out and give a ‘hand up’ to another in need. I have seen, over and again, people helping, without reserve, those in distress. I have seen ‘disadvantaged’ people helping ‘advantaged’ people, and vice versa - many times. As individuals, as families, and as members of the community we certainly have a well-grounded sense of accountability and responsibility; you only have to ask fellow South Africans who have stayed for any length of time in other countrise - they tend to confirm this. A friend of mine who travels often overseas on business tells me every time she gets off the plane at OR Tambo, she feels the ground vibrate – a tribute to the heart-beat, energy and vitality of our nation. Many are those who have come to our shores and openly declared that South Africa is a special place, and that the spirit and passion of the people are clearly special. Those of us who travel and have the yardstick by which to compare are possibly more aware of this than those who haven’t travelled.
The story of the South African people is more enduring than transient negative factors - whilst these come and go, we will still be standing, whole, with dignity and by God’s Grace.
We are a country which represents the world in microcosm in terms of the spread of races, cultures, religions, etc. We are also a rich mix of the first and third world environments, living in close proximity to one another, unlike other parts of the world where the third world component is confined to sectors of high-density cities. In spite of this, we are, in large measure, working well together, across environments of work, sport, social, spiritual, education, etc.
A number of erudite visitors to our country have expressed their belief and given the reasons why South Africa is pre-eminently positioned to conceive and give birth to the progressive step humankind needs for the quantum leap to a better place, and away from a world becoming ever more complex and dysfunctional. They express the opinion that the South African people have the background, experience and knowledge to remove the complexity and dysfunctionality. In our country this has been a work in progress since 1994. After our first truly democratic election, many of the world media who attended our election called the occasion ’a miracle of peace’ – they had sent their war correspondents, expecting the worst.
And so, this being our untold /unfolding story – let us continue to breathe life into it always. Let us not forget that this is indeed our future. It is time for us all to actively seek the ‘high road’ that Clem Sunter has spoken about so eloquently and for so long.
Our Nelson Mandela has now gone from our sight, but his great spirit lives on in the people. Thank you, Madiba, father of our nation!
Sandy Johnston
Rivonia
Johannesburg
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