To fix South Africa we truly do need action and realism

It is true that it really does not take the wisdom of Albert Einstein to realise and accept the “rainbow nation” dream of Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu and other great leaders is lacking in colour. We are far from liberation – and as a nation we are tired.

It is the beginning of the year and while we should be having some sort of hope that things might turn out better for the country, we are instead overwhelmed because of the conditions we are in and continue to be stuck in. It’s the same old, same old, just a different day.

Like the saying goes in isiZulu, “lafa elihle kakhulu”, which translates into “cry the beloved country”. The land is slowly dying and as a nation, we are going through a lot. We keep asking ourselves when it will be better and how it could have gone so wrong. Yet we have no answers.

The burning issues we face daily are not getting better. Our current leaders are disappointing us and are a face of failed democracy. Is this the real democracy we aspire for? Is this what the people before us fought for?

The economy is dropping massively, inequality is growing and we are all becoming helpless spectators to politicians while we cry over the rising repo rate and the high cost of eggs. It feels like an episode of The Hunger Games.

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Businesses are affected by the ongoing electricity crisis, which has furthermore contributed to poverty and encouraged fearless crime. People are simply taking now because they believe “this is what they need”, without any fear of consequences.

If it is not that, then it is the virus which is corruption that has embedded itself in everything and anything we could think of, and further undermined state legitimacy and service delivery. It is getting worse by the day, with no accountability measures in place.

The chief executive of the Ethics Institute of South Africa and a professor in philosophy at Stellenbosch University, Deon Rossouw, once said in order to fight corruption, the work needs to start at the top.

“Without political will from the top at national, provincial and local government level, calls for the fight against corruption remain empty slogans that only breed cynicism. Anti-corruption institutions can themselves lose legitimacy when political will is absent.”

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I could not agree more. Surely leaders should be working towards finding ways to be beyond reproach when it comes to corruption and conflicts of interest. It starts with self and setting the example, but the issue is power and how the element of power corrupts.

This is probably why many of the youth lack hope in things ever getting better – and simply want out. For many of South Africa’s youth, the assurance of the new democracy has not been delivered, looking at how about 75% of the potentially economically active young population are not able to find employment.

Our youth face a life of continued poverty and despair, with all the associated social ills, like crime, alcohol, drug abuse and political instability. Dreams and aspirations for the future are falling short because of the discouragement due to everything happening around us.

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Uplifting the quality of life of all South Africans, especially the poor, should be the end goal. Rather than being trapped in a pattern of blame and entitlement, it is up to all those who are proud to be South African and call South Africa home to shift the way we think about the issues we face.

To fix South Africa we truly do need action and realism.