We need true leaders to pull us from the brink

THE death of Mido Macia in police cells from head injuries and internal bleeding has once more alerted us to the culture of violence which has entrenched itself in South African society.

This gentleman was shown being dragged behind a police vehicle; some say he was refusing to get into the vehicle.

Involved in this incident are the same police officers who are responsible for our safety as South Africans.

Our leaders should know right now that we will not tolerate state violence. We are battling against a wave of violence washing over our country and as it is, we can’t have our police officers involved in brutalising and killing citizens.

It is my conviction that leadership plays an extremely important role in any activity which involves mankind, and I think the leaders of this country need to change the way they go about their business. They need to lead in a way which will address the ills so evident in our society.

My suspicion is that those who lead us share the same attitudes that most of us do.

This includes a lack of respect for life but there’s an over-emphasis on how much one earns and how famous or how connected we are. People are categorised and treated accordingly.

Had Macia been a wealthy or a well-known man, would he have died the way he did? I doubt it.

The question is how do we change our attitudes so that we see all men and women as important and an integral part of our society?

At the same time, there is a lot of disrespect for our police force. The question is why is this? Do we see the police as our protectors really, or do we see them as untrustworthy, corrupt and bothersome government workers who treat people according to how rich and famous they are?

At the same time, there is the question of whether our police officers are provided with the necessary training to deal with a violent population and balance their legal rights.

This is a big ask, hence the need to keep our police officers on the cutting edge when it comes to policing skills and abilities.

My fear is that our leaders also pay very little attention to the intricacies of South African society. They are too pre-occupied with fighting political battles in their parties to focus on addressing the mass of challenges facing South Africa.

But if our country is not put first on the list of things to deal with, we will continue to lurch on without a clear direction. As much as the National Development Plan seems to be taking centrestage, I am afraid there are few willing and able to take it and run with it, meet the proposed time frames, and allow us to see a distinct change in the direction our society is taking.

We will not be able to solve South African challenges as long as we do not get our priorities right.

If petty politics, the retention of power and creation of fast wealth remain the number one targets, we would be naive to hope for the tide to change.

It is only leaders with the qualities of selflessness, long-term vision, integrity, consistency, honesty, clarity of mind, wisdom and appreciation for all life who will have a chance at pulling us back from the brink of disaster.

It is time we looked for and recruited such leaders into our midst. It is time we supported people such as these into leadership positions wherever we are.

That would at least pay homage to Mido Macia.

Bantu Mniki is from Dutywa