SA must steer clear of iceberg

DURING this time in the traditional Christian calendar, Christians engage in prayer, fasting and giving.

However, this period, called Lent, is also for reflection.

Engulfed in a political, social and moral crisis as we are, it behoves us to reflect on the state of our country.

Archbishop Thabo Makgoba put it as follows: “If we leave God out of the political affairs of society, we must not be too surprised if the devil fills the gap.”

The promise of freedom ushered in by the 1994 democratic project has imploded into a spectacular crisis of corruption, arrogance and greed.

The ANC in power has demonstrated in a dramatic way what it means when those in government say “it’s our turn to eat”.

The greed underlying the Sassa grants payout debacle is underscored by the fact that the government is pushing for one company to execute the entire R10billion contract.

Why not break down the contract per province to ensure greater transparency and efficiency?

Why should the vulnerable and weak be exposed to a prolonged situation of anxiety and confusion while the political elite negotiate financial terms and conditions to suit themselves?

At the core of the ANC’S political meltdown is a party that has insulated itself from the pulse of the nation, by wrapping itself in a thick blanket of corruption.

The state of governance in our country is at its lowest in 23 years.

The executive has no semblance of order and direction, but is instead a house divided against itself. The president is in the boxing ring against the minister of finance. The minister of finance and the commissioner of Sars are pulling in different directions. The minister of police is fighting the institution’s watchdog.

The dominant faction in the ANC is plundering all state-owned enterprises under the guise of radical economic transformation.

What started off as a promising project of hope has systematically degenerated into a state of crisis.

Under President Jacob Zuma, South Africa has been operating in permanent crisis mode.

Because the ANC is now in power for its own sake and no longer for the sake of the majority, it is incumbent upon all of us who have a stake in South Africa to reflect on the type of country we want our children to inherit.

South Africa’s political culture, which is exemplified by Parliament, needs to be redefined.

The antics and theatrics of the EFF in Parliament do not represent our country’s ethos of ubuntu.

Neither does the disdain and arrogance of the ANC.

In reflecting on the path we have travelled from apartheid to democracy, South Africa’s political culture is best represented by unity in diversity, mutual respect and solidarity. These values may hold no value in terms of political currency, but they are indispensable in building a sustainable South Africa.

In reflecting on the path we need to travel to secure a better future for this country, it would be wise to resist futile political slogans such us fighting white monopoly capital and “redistribution of land without compensation”.

These slogans are hollow and will bring no tangible change to the material conditions of our country’s poor.

Instead, a steady focus on practical solutions to ensure job creation, economic growth and safe communities needs to be adopted.

For all the rhetoric on the National Development Plan and black industrialisation programme, the ANC has nothing to show in terms of results.

To enhance the value of our own contribution as society towards the manner in which we are governed, South Africans can no longer rely on the good intentions of the ANC.

The character of South Africa’s struggle for liberation was underpinned by justice, freedom and sacrifice. All these elements are absent in the ANC’S governance model.

The ANC in power has developed an acute propensity to destroy the twin pillars of solidarity and transparency which are the bedrock of our constitution.

It is up to civil society organisations like Black Sash and Freedom Under Law to stand in solidarity with the vulnerable and marginalised.

It took the brave effort of the former public protector and the independence of the judiciary to expose the corrupt grasp of state capture in the presidency.

Where to from here? Responding to the President’s State of the Nation address, IFP leader Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi had the following pearls of wisdom to dispense: “No matter how you slice it, the pie is just not big enough for everyone to eat. South Africa must grow and develop and progress. Reshuffling the deck chairs on the Titanic will not save the lives of those who are destined to drown if this ship goes down.”

We are all on board the Titanic, which is South Africa.

Individual and collective effort is required to rescue the future of this country from the calamitous course on which the ANC is steering us. Whether the country sails on the sea of freedom and opportunity or whether it sinks under the weight of ANC corruption is a choice in the hands of all patriotic South Africans. REV THULASIZWE BUTHELEZI

• Buthelezi is a deacon in the Anglican Church of Southern Africa based in the Diocese of Zululand.