There are no leaders among our youth

So, Malusi Gigaba has fallen on his sword – much to the relief of the ruling party – but he is yet another young Cabinet member falling short of a real shot at being president.

We have seen leadership potential in the likes of Fikile Mbalula and even Mduduzi Manana, but it all came to a premature end as they are engulfed in an unending barrage of scandals.

We demand young ones in the corridors of power – but we fall short of leadership examples.

Have we honestly cultivated leaders? Say what you want about their personal rhetoric, but five years later the Economic Freedom Fighters is a political decision-maker and one to be taken seriously…

What other leaders have we produced? Is South Africa breeding youth leadership in the political space?

While we may sing Thuma mina, who are we sending out? And can they relate to the needs, hopes and dreams of a younger generation?

We are a generation of millennials and born-frees – and though we may not be the same age as the “youth political leaders,” there is a better chance of them relating to our challenges than that of ageing leaders who keep an iron-clad grip on political power.

While Gigaba’s fall may be celebrated as a sign of the readiness of government to welcome clean governance, he was a member of the youth brigade who had managed to break through the glass ceiling.

We hope new blood will replace him. But who? The youth structures of politics have fallen from their glory days of a Solomon Mahlangu. What happened to the churning out of youth greatness from structures like the ANC Youth League? How the effects of state capture run deep.

The influence of the Guptas and their associates are coming apart.

I celebrate that power has been removed from those who sold their morality to the highest bidder – but I have to wonder: who can step up to the plate and speak for a collective to voice their grievances?

We are alienated from the political process – and the youth might not be ready to serve.

Kekeletso Nakeli-Dhliwayo.

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