Is coming… today
FORMER cabinet minister Jay Naidoo provides a roadmap for the future in his book Change: organising tomorrow, today.
The book, launching today at AM Moola Spes Nova in Phoenix, could prove a useful guide for those tired of waiting for the government to get things done.
The synopsis warns: “Unless there is significant change, the world is heading towards an explosion. The growing gap between the rich and poor is dangerous and unsustainable.”
Says Naidoo: “We need to retrace our steps and build the spirit of ubuntu. I appeal for a return to the values that made us a political miracle in 1994.”
Change was inspired by his work fighting hunger and malnutrition. In the past decade, he has worked in countries where communities pleaded with leaders to address basic human rights, but ultimately had to resolve the problems themselves.
Naidoo said the book reflected his journey and the brave people he met on the way.
Naidoo’s accolades include the Chevalier de la Légion d’honneur (Legion of Honour), an honorary doctorate in Engineering and the Built Environment from Durban University of Technology.
He says Steve Biko was among those who inspired him.
“I can still remember his words: ‘You have nothing to lose but your chains. The mind of the oppressed is the main weapon in the hands of the oppressor.’
“They gave me a political direction and I channelled my anger into a political cause, fighting for social justice and freedom.”
Naidoo believes South Africans are now angry with selfish political and corporate elites. He hopes Change, which has been four years in the making, will spark public debate about issues that have been swept under the carpet since the dawn of democracy.