Selfish politicians have ‘destroyed unity in SA’

Divided we fall, but united we prosper.

This was the essence of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s rallying call to civil society, including special interest groups, business and labour, to work hand in glove with government in turning South Africa’s fortunes around.

To demonstrate the potential of unity and working together in building the country, in his State of the Nation address last week the president reminded the nation how, in 1994, instead of hatred and revenge, South Africans chose the path of negotiation, compromise and peaceful settlement.

Social compacting and collaboration, which Ramaphosa has repeated in all his three State of the Nation addresses since he took over as president, have become his cornerstones for progress and turning the country’s fortunes around.

But the successive administrations since the dawn of democracy have been criticised for speaking of unity but doing nothing practical to encourage that unity and the spirit of working together.

Themba Masango, the general secretary of civil rights movement, #NotInMyName, said the unity and the spirit of working together that South Africans were known for has been destroyed by selfish politicians who think for themselves.

“The struggle against apartheid was won through this very unity, because there was a common enemy and we pulled everything we have together, but you ask yourself what happened to that unity.

“After the monster of apartheid was slain, those we elected to power quickly forgot about others.

“This was the beginning of the breakdown in the spirit of unity and working together,” he said.

Masango said even the resources of the country were not distributed equally, saying this led to people believing that some people were better than the others and that this has bred the culture of selfishness that was holding the country back.

“It is not enough for the president to sound a rallying call to work together when those in power have demonstrated that it was everyone for themselves.

“This is a prevailing reality out there, which is why even that African adage of ‘a child is raised by the community’ has become just that – an adage,” he said.

Masango said those in power should get out of their air-conditioned offices and join the people on the ground to understand challenges they are grappling with.

He said the reason the country was grappling with serious issues of gender-based violence, poverty, crime and joblessness was because those in power think only of themselves, adding that these were the results of a decay of morals of those in power.

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