Imagine a South Africa without the ogre of apartheid and its consequences

Imagine a South Africa without the ogre of apartheid and its consequences. No Verwoerds. And a parliament made up of experienced, professional and competent MPs of all hues.

See, colour isn’t the criteria and cadre deployment as an enabler of corruption and a contributor to blurred party-state lines is nonexistent. This exemplary situation exists in a dream I had in a hospital bed.

It’s probably the medicine running through two drips that carried me to a truly rainbow country run by a prime minister in the ’50s called Jannie Smuts.

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He must’ve impressed me so much that his name and face lodged in the recesses of a young brain. He is a visionary and foresees the future and what the country can become if he didn’t take drastic steps to prevent the likes of the Zumas and Guptas capturing the state. He persuades his Cabinet to open the way to include the black people in the equation.

My dream gets better. Jannie sets up a massive road show, visiting and having talks with influential leaders among the blacks, coloured, Indian and Chinese communities, inviting them to an indaba to come up with a plan to give every South African citizen the vote.

Unlike most dreams that are disjointed, unexplained and nonsensical, mine was as clear as day and even had a happy and conclusive ending. You’ve probably had similar ones.

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It takes a full year of heavy debate before a plan of action comes to fruition. Candidates are selected to represent their constituencies in four provinces. My dream doesn’t go into how this is accomplished, but it’s good enough for me.

A date is set for the first democratic election. Points are established all over the country. In the rural areas tents are pitched and act as voting stations. The air is filled with expectation with millions queuing to cast their first ever vote. Oh, the whites also did their thing.

How the two wings were set up in parliament isn’t clear, but what does come through is that the first sitting goes off without a hitch.

Sticky issues are intelligently debated with immediate results, without the necessity for commissions. At that point a nurse shakes me awake and wants to know why I’ve such a broad smile. If only she knew.

Sadly I’m back in the world of crime, load shedding, corruption – and a useless government.

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