‘Rainbow nation’ needs new winds

It’s shocking how quickly South Africa has skidded down towards becoming a failed state. But when an experienced geopolitical and security consultant such as Eeben Barlow warns – as he does, on our pages today – that the tipping point is close, we should pay attention.

He’s been there, seen those failing states in various places in Africa and elsewhere.

This is his warning: “Currently, South Africa can at best be described as a failing state, sliding towards state failure. Lacking the requisite intervention, this will be followed by the final transition towards a collapsed state, resulting in warlords taking ownership of an erstwhile sovereign state and becoming a power unto themselves.”

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As Khartoum smoulders, should we be worried that could be our future, too? Barlow believes our leaders must commit themselves to rooting out corruption at all levels of government and society, commit to transparency and accountability and support “an independent judiciary unfettered by politically appointed judges”.

We agree with him on all that – and his suggestion that we need to revive and recommit ourselves to once again be the “Rainbow nation”, which showed such promise in 1994.

That, we feel, will only come about if the winds of change blow away our political cobwebs.

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