Time to listen to the message

ST GEORGE’S Cathedral in the city centre was filled to capacity this week, with activ- ists from different walks of life paying trib- ute to the memory of ANC and SACP stal- wart Ahmed Kathrada and addressing the crisis South Africa faces as calls are made to remove President Jacob Zuma. Yesterday, tens of thousands of people of all col- ours and persuasions demonstrated and marched around the country to demand Zuma go. It is good so many people, many middle class, care enough about the future of our country to come out peacefully in their numbers. Zuma has indeed been a poor leader – indecisive and tainted by claims of corruption. But the real- ity is that whether he stays or goes ultimately rests with the ruling ANC, which enjoyed majority sup- port in the last national elections. So far Zuma seems firmly entrenched, while the alliance partners’ influence appears even more marginalised, although several of their members remain in cabinet posts. While the ANC appears disinclined to acquiesce to demands to recall the president, any political party with an eye to the next election would do well to heed the rising tide of dissatisfaction in our country. Politicians will also need to be aware that a large cohort of 2019’s voters will be the urban young, im- patient with old political loyalties and hungry for jobs, decent living conditions and change. Meanwhile, the thousands of concerned citizens who stepped forward this week need to remain en- gaged and help tackle the burning issues facing South Africa – corruption (including in the cor- porate world), crime and gangsterism, poverty and joblessness. Back in the 1990s, many activists were effective- ly demobilised. Now we need to build community organisations to fight for social justice and good governance and so help shape a better future for all.