Every problem contains the seeds of its solution. Hence, identifying a problem is the first step towards solving it. This is one of the truisms I learnt early on in life.
South Africa currently faces myriad problems that make it impossible for the democratic promise of a better life for all to be fulfilled.
Before 1994 it was easy to identify the main problem for the majority of the population and to wage strong resistance against a common enemy of apartheid, which sought to reduce the black majority to sub-human status in the land of their birth.
The demise of apartheid however, did not lead to the promised land of milk and honey as new challenges, some which are remnants of our unfortunate past, started to crop up and are proving to be quite formidable.
In the area of education, our rulers have sought to render our children as guinea pigs to experiment with some of the most misguided policies in an effort to eradicate the vestiges of apartheid education.
As a result of poor planning and situational analysis, our education has not only been left in a mess, but is itself a mess. The effort to discard the legacy of apartheid education has left us with a situation where pupils, having completed primary education, cannot master the basic scholastic skills of reading and writing.
An international study revealed that these pupils indeed cannot read for meaning at Grade 6 level and this does not augur well, as reading is a foundational skill essential for the acquisition of other skills such as writing and thinking.
The culture of learning and teaching is almost non-existent in most public schools and what we experience is an unacceptable drop-out rate which continues to swell the ranks of the unemployed.
On the health front, our clinics and hospitals are fast becoming places where people are sent to die and not to be treated and cured. To refer to them as health centres is most likely to become an anomaly if something is not done to rescue them out of their current state.
Our economic fortunes are not better off with most of our SOEs bleeding from the parasitic effects of state capture. The country has become a soap opera of scandals with revelations of financial malfeasance almost on a daily basis. The economy is not creating jobs with the unemployment rate reaching worrying levels. In addition, the crime level in the country has made South Africans prisoners in their own homes.
Race relations have taken a nosedive since 1994. Racial tensions are at an all-time high with accusations of racism flying from all ends.
It must be said that it has not been doom and gloom since 1994 with a lot of good coming from the government. However, all the good seems to be in danger of being wiped out by the bad that is coming out.
A closer analysis of the problems identified points to a lack of leadership that can address these problems and also nip others in the bud through a proactive vision for the future.
It is clear what South Africa needs urgently, and that it currently has too little of, is leadership.
On the subject of leadership, the British-American author and organisational consultant, Simon Sinek, had this to say: “Leadership is not about the next election, it is about the next generation.”
I could not agree more.
Lee is a social commentator with a keen interest in educational and political issues