Johnny Clegg is with us no more. Yet his legacy as a uniting force across cultures will live on.
It is almost fitting that he died mere days before Mandela Day, the celebration of Madiba’s birthday on July 18, because he embodied the ideals of the former statesmen – a country that is united and alive with the African fire of pride and passion.
One of his greatest songs was Great Heart. Yes, the world is still full of strange behaviour, Mr Clegg, and still we are searching for those who have a great heart to push the country forward into a new dawn of hope.
A heart keeps the body alive. South Africa as a collective body of people has, however, been suffering terribly because the hearts of government and so many others in power have become calloused, thus failing to keep the engine running.
It has been almost a year since the Zondo Commission kicked into gear, hearing hundreds of testimonies all singing the same tune of corruption and greed.
So many people have been implicated, and you have to wonder where the heart of this nation, or even Africa, has gone.
Every cent stolen robs a child of a meal, brings a family to its knees or drives people further down the road of destitute desperation. Shame indeed on those whose hearts are so cold towards humanity and its plight.
The dust has not settled on the commission, yet it is clear beyond a shadow of a doubt that the state has been captured, even though Jacob Zuma says otherwise.
The country has been pillaged and plundered, and more than ever the fruit of such capture is evident in most citizens’ struggle to survive.
Businesses in Boksburg are fighting a daily battle to keep the doors open because state capture has directly crippled the economy.
Yes, the nation as a body is suffering, for the heart has become cold and cruel, and the blood pumped, polluted.
Based on all the damning evidence, you have to ask: Where is the great heart that calls for a collective effort to build a nation, which was, after all, the vision of Madiba?
Those days are long gone. Under the African skies, Mr Clegg, I fear it seems many of those in power are living only to benefit themselves.
It is a tragedy, even though there are still those who are showing true heart and fighting tooth and nail to honour Madiba’s vision and, surely, the aspirations of the late Mr Clegg.
This was clear on Mandela Day when so many companies, organisations and individuals in Boksburg joined hands to uplift the community and to help the needy and the less fortunate. It was truly incredible, warming one’s heart.
Yes, there is life yet in South Africa. On that day, South Africans again demonstrated the spirit of the great heart, which should put to shame all those whose hearts have been turned to stone because of greed.
It was also fitting that a well-known radio station held a fund-raiser to help pay for corrective heart surgery for so many children at the Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital.
South Africa needs men and women of a great heart again. It needs future leaders whose hearts beat with pride, not just in themselves, but in this land and its people.
Johnny Clegg will be missed because he reminded us that unity under the African sky is not a mere illusion, but can be a reality. Yet so many forces remain in play to destroy such a dream, and so many do not wish to stand together.
Once, I had the privilege of sitting down to dinner with Mr Clegg to talk about one of his shows. He surely had a great heart, a great smile, a great vision and a great hope. His passion for the people was evident, yet his love for South Africa is sorely lacking where it is most needed.
While times are tough, we can take heart that at least the sun will again rise in Africa. And for those who are staying behind while so many emigrate, it is up to every individual to make a small difference wherever they find themselves.
We are becoming scatterlings in our nation, but can we fight on with a great heart and so honour the memory of Madiba and Mr Clegg.
