London’s Daily Sun gave me a hernia. Thanks to their cheeky headline in response to British finance minister Alistair Darling’s budget speech “…Darling screwed more people than Woods, Terry and Ashley”. My tummy is still hurting.
It is a pity laughter has died in SA. Everything is gray. If we are not threatening racial wars and killings on social networks, we are numbed by corruption and crime. Our debates have been reduced to gutter level by infantile leaders. The Madiba jive is gone. We used to be so carefree. What happened to us?
As we begin one of the sacred weeks in the Christian calendar, it is appropriate to reflect on the type of people we have become. I do not like what I see. We are polarised. We are violent and destructive.
We are materialistic. We resemble a Stalinistic Russia. Freedom has brought pain. It unleashed greediness. What kind of people would rape and dismember an innocent 15-year-old girl? What type of leaders would steal from the poor?
Solomon Mahlangu did not die to advance this cruelty upon his people. Helen Joseph did not fight for sadism to thrive. Bram Fischer did not endure apartheid blows to promote a polarised society. The post-apartheid society is an insult to the ideals of Robert Sobukwe and Beyers Naude.
It is up to us to correct this anomaly. The leadership to better this country should come from all of us. It is through our words, writings and actions that we lay a foundation of a better nation. If we preach war, we will get war. If we are consumed by hatred, then racism will flourish. Corruption and violent crime are products of society. We created them; we can put a stop to them.
SA will only go to the dogs, if we allow it. Only the stupid never learn from their mistakes. Our silence gave the empty heads a right to polarise and plunder. How long can you keep silent as self-centred leaders rip your country apart? Each one of us has the power to make a difference. It does not matter if you are at school, in the mall, in the sports ground or in the taxi. History starts with one person influencing the rest.
As individuals, we are capable of creating little miracles in our surroundings. The Easter period is about miracles — the triumph of goodness over evil . The day the nation woke up and saved the republic.
We can make SA laugh again.
Dr Lucas Ntyintyane
Cape Town
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