Need for ethical leaders
FORMER president Thabo Mbeki, speaking at the special official funeral of amaXhosa King Zwelonke Sigcawu in the Eastern Cape last Friday, said that South Africa was in need of strategic thought leadership to accelerate the progress desperately desired.
Mbeki hailed King Sigcawu as “an outstanding leader of our people” and touched on a number of South Africa’s current problems.
The former president said: “These include poverty, unemployment, inequality, violent crime – including crime against women and children, drought, all of which negatively affects millions of our people, and the scourge of corruption affecting both the public and private sectors.
“The weakening of the organs of state has resulted in a veritable crisis in terms of service delivery, the crisis of a stagnant economy which results in increasing the levels of poverty, the gross mismanagement of the stateowned corporations leading to multiple problems for the country and people, and provocative attacks by negative forces in our midst against foreign nationals.”
It is hard to differ with Mbeki, given the problems listed above. Leaders are made during times such as these. South Africa needs leaders to arise and be counted. Leaders who love South Africa and its people.
Speaking at the launch of the annual 16 Days of Activism for No Violence against Women and Children in Lephalale in Limpopo, President Cyril Ramaphosa said: “Violence against women and children is both a shame on South Africa and a betrayal of African values. We grew up being taught that as men and boys, we must respect women and protect children. We were taught to never, ever raise your hand against a woman. But we have lost our way.”
The killing of Boitumelo Matsekoleng, 6, from Serageng Village, who was raped and killed last month; Thandi Mampane, 11, from Ga-Marishane Village who was abducted and killed; and Mphephu Sophie Vukeya, 59, from Muswana Village, who was attacked while collecting firewood and died in hospital in June after being raped and beaten – these heinous acts point to a crisis of leadership.
While we welcome the efforts by President Ramaphosa to bring an end to this senseless violence, I believe that to overcome this we need more than just the president speaking out; we need all of our leaders to condemn these crimes and say we as South Africans will not condone these atrocities with our silence. Our collective stance should be clear: zero tolerance for those who perpetuate violence.
It’s said evil thrives when the good among us keep quiet. This is as true in the religious community as in every other sector. The questions must be asked: Where are the community leaders? Where are the business leaders? Chief executives in the corporate space? And, dare I say – religious leaders? We are too quiet, or our responses are not good enough. Women and children are crying out for our leadership.
At this point, we truly miss the values and leadership left by our former president Nelson Mandela, who in the midst of division believed that those from all races could live together in peace and harmony.
His selfless spirit, non-racialism, servant leadership, humility, compassion, ethics, and love for humanity were exemplary.
Pastor Ray McCauley is president of Rhema Family Churches and co-chair of the National Religious Leaders Council