I am referring to what I call the “New Struggle” in South Africa, as distinct from the old struggle against apartheid: a new struggle for a new society, a society of compassion and caring, a society in which we end inequality of opportunity and improve the lives of the poorest of the poor.
The pursuit of such a struggle has the potential to establish a new basis for our spiritual, economic, political and social lives, a morally virtuous framework that could and should unleash a sustainable wave of real change or — as some describe it — a movement of transformative improvement and a reprioritisation of the needs of our diverse communities.
To express the hope for such a movement is not wishful thinking.
Hope, as I have said before, is not a nebulous, pie-in-the-sky concept. No, hope is the driving force which motivates our determination to name our problems, to identify solutions to them and to mobilise people to overcome them.
Hope must be what drives us to work to fulfil our Constitution’s promise of a society based on democratic values, social justice and fundamental human rights.
In recent days, the sad, racist attack on black children at the Maselspoort holiday resort outside Bloemfontein once again brought home the urgency of dealing with the hate and prejudice which still pervades South Africa.
Just as urgent is the need for civil society, including the churches and other faith communities, to refuse to surrender the human rights of the most marginalised: shack dwellers, refugees and economic migrants from other parts of Africa, and the LGBTQI community.
When I was in Ukraine just before Christmas, the Jewish community was celebrating Hanukkah, the eight-day festival which commemorates the miracle of olive oil which was supposed to burn in a lamp for only one day, but actually staying alight for eight days.
Similarly, in so many ways — by so many means and at so many times in our recent history — civil society has kept alight candles of hope to lighten the darkness in our societies in southern Africa.
We need also to light candles of hope for our Palestinian sisters and brothers, that they too may share the freedom, security, peace and justice we desire for all those who live in the Holy Basin.
In South Africa, civil society has been at the core of the New Struggle, a major contributing factor which prevented the dismembering of democracy as our Constitution came under assault in recent years.
Now we are facing profound new challenges in South Africa.
As we’ve seen others ask, “How do you shame a shameless government and political parties into being movements of the people, committed to the common good rather than existing for their own and their families’ self-advancement?”
How can we say that the voices of the people are being heard and acted upon when we see our political leaders living the high life while claiming there is no money for service delivery, basic education and healthcare?
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Where does this societal deafness and social arrogance come from?
Ukraine reminded me that it is possible to have key leaders who are capable, authentic champions of civil society; leaders who can create an infrastructure that will not allow populism, public violence and violent extremism to define 2023 and the years beyond.
In South Africa we need leaders who can fulfil their constitutional obligations, ensuring that social problems are addressed and ensuring that the new era of African democracy becomes a reality in South Africa too.
Such leaders will recognise that our future is not just in the hands of politicians, but that all the country’s economic and social formations must be brought into the narrative so that everyone, including the poor, is listened to for their ideas, insights and solutions.
Sadly, we are coming to the collective realisation that if our current government is incapable of self-correction, then a new coalition of forces is essential. Here are the realities that such a coalition will have to face up to:
- Poverty is not by accident, it is by design — lower-income, less educated, voiceless people are so much easier to control.
- In the social context, South Africa has the highest unemployment rate in the world — with 66.5% youth unemployment,
- In the Human Development Index compiled by the United Nations Development Programme, South Africa ranks in the second-lowest quartile. Half of the adult population lives below the poverty line and 19 million of our 60 million people are dependent on social grants. No less than 47% of households ran out of food during Covid-19 lockdowns.
- With the highest Gini coefficient globally, South Africa is the most unequal nation in the world. The richest 10% hold 71% of the wealth and the poorest 60% hold 7% of the wealth.
- People in sub-Saharan Africa are experiencing acute food insecurity.
- In the larger context, the world is moving away from financial stability, predictable financial markets, low interest rates and low inflation. The world is now characterised by unpredictable external shocks and increased volatility brought on by climate change, worsened by the Covid pandemic, and now amplified by Russia’s unprovoked, unwarranted and unjustified invasion of Ukraine.
We must come together to address these realities. A plethora of independent movements is not enough. Whether under the umbrella of the New Struggle — or some other vehicle that embraces all voices, from the poor, to the spiritual leaders of our country, to the leaders of business and labour — we need an alliance of leaders and forces to say: “Enough is enough!”
Your futures, our country’s future, is in our hands.
It is time to heal our political polarisations, to recognise that the chasms between rich and poor cannot be tolerated and that overcoming inequality of opportunity is the solution to unemployment.
We are so blessed to be living here in this century. It’s in our hands to shape the future and to give our children and grandchildren their best possible futures.
In 2023, how will we leave behind personal greed to become part of something bigger than ourselves? The answer: the New Struggle. DM
This is an edited version of his message for the church season of Epiphany, which is observed by the Orthodox churches of Russia and Ukraine as the main celebration of the birth of Christ.