The society acts as though it deserves trustworthy leaders that it had no part in developing and support. We are spoilt to expect others to be good to us, and that other organisation have to create such credible leaders for us.
It cost something to create the kind of leadership we think we deserve. Others leave their families and the comfort of their homes to mobilise communities on issues of interest, without pay or any glimmer of hope if their lives will ever work out.
A Nelson must leave a Winnie with young daughters to pursue a struggle that will eventually liberate the country. Oliver must be willing to surrender his life, be exiled for some 30 years traversing the globe advocating for the people's liberations. A Biko dies in police custody in his 30s and widows his Ntsiki who remains fending for her children.
A Phila Ndwandwe must cover herself with a piece of a blue plastic sheet close by as she unyieldingly loses her life from a bullet wound of an apartheid police criminal. Her son then navigates life without his mother's love and support. Leaders don't grow in the field like daffodils.
Everyone wants good leaders, but no one wants to be Walter, who becomes a mentor and a stepping stone for leaders who eventually emerge as international icons as they stood on giants' shoulders such as Xhamela.
Frederick Douglass, in 1857, already pointed out to this challenge and argued that "The general sentiment of mankind is that a man who will not fight for himself, when he has the means of doing so, is not worth being fought for by others, and this sentiment is just". Douglass raises this argument during a time when many were slaves, and he was agitating for action. In the same breath, he admonishes that "Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did, it never will".
The question of leadership comes up whenever elections are approaching, and so do many complaints follow. It is no longer sufficient to tell people not to vote for one Party but not offer an alternative. Neither is it enough to ask voters to blindly vote for one Party because they have always voted for it. Explain why the organisation is still championing the will of the people. And, if not, what are your reasons?
It is one thing to be dissatisfied by the status quo and remain passive or withhold your vote. It's another thing to mobilise people away from practising their democratic right to elect the leadership of their choosing, even when you don't agree with their choice. Such pleasure is reserved for political or social commentators who never have to offer a real solution, but make comments on the unfortunate environment we find ourselves. Let all of us go to the streets and mobilise public support for our views or positions on social matters. We might have a different appreciation of the challenges that face capable leadership from emerging.
My experience has been that it is difficult to even elect competent ward councillors from the communities because these desired competent candidates are not able to even wait until the completion of a community meeting that discusses drainage, RDP house and informal settlement under powerlines – let alone door-to-door campaigns.
We can't expect a well-functioning Council if we do not ensure that a well capable ward councillor is elected in our very neighbourhood. We wishfully expect credible leadership to emerge, but we have not participated in the process that should enable such leaders to appear. And, I know, even when they appear, Party political processes can eliminate them at Regional List Conferences.
Such is our political life which we need to conquer, but it cannot be captured by watching Netflix and lamenting corruption on Facebook. There is no more Govan Mbeki, Walter Sisulu and OR Tambo who took it upon themselves to lead the struggle and mentor the following layer of leadership when it was their turn to do so.
Our society is characterised by the words 'every man for himself, God for us all'. None dares to offer their life, or career, for another – but we deserve excellent and honest leadership which we had nothing to do with its development.
So I ask myself if we are worth the kind of sacrifices that were made for our liberation and the lives we currently lead. Has it been worth the sacrifice of Solomon Mahlangu? He remained unbowed and unafraid when he said, "My blood will nourish the tree that will bear the fruits of freedom" – and he left us with his affirmation of love and admonished for the struggle to never be abandoned. But we tell ourselves that he was not speaking to us, he meant his comrades in MK and ANC. We absolve ourselves of the responsibility to continue the struggle for a better future for the poor and the marginalised. Yet great leaders who are not corrupt must emerge and serve us like the selfless generations of leaders that is now no more. The last of whom was Tat'uAndrew Mlangeni whose light just went off from among us in the dark of Covid-19's lockdowns. We pay our respect.
We will have no other saviour coming for us, Nomzamo Winifred Zanyiwe Madikizela is no more – but did she multiple? Nomaka Epainette Mbeki can no longer raise her red flag, attend to her village store and empower rural women. Usishiyile u- Adelaide 'Mama' Tambo who attended to the wounds of her generation and the army of exiled youngsters who led us into democratic South Africa. Victoria Nonyamezelo Mxenge will not be delivering our babies nor will she be attending to our legal cases because she served her purposed unto death – so that we can be free!
By: Olwam Mnqwazi
*First published in The Herald Newspaper
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