We, the People! ...Are our Own Custodians of Hope by Sihlangule Siwisa

Sometimes, there are words in the language of human endeavour that convey such a rich sense of meaning and significance on their own that the only justifiable elaboration on their truth is demonstrative conduct rather than more words.

I am reminded of the rallying cry of the struggle in apartheid South Africa when Oliver Reginald Tambo said, "Freedom in Our Lifetime!"

I am also reminded of those historic words that echoed across America and the globe when the American Civil Rights Leader, Dr. Martin Luther King said, "I have a Dream..." and then decades later we saw the realization of that dream in the ascendant tone of the iconic words of former President Barack Obama who dared us to say, "Yes We Can!"

There are other equally significant, historic and potent utterances throughout time, such as "Black Man you are On Your Own!" by Stephen Bantu Biko and the majestic poetry contained in the beautiful delivery by former President Thabo Mvuyelwa Mbeki, "I am an African!"

As a young writer and activist, I look up to great men and women whose words echo into eternity. On five occasions, I added my own voice to the theatre of voices in the world with book titles such as "Afrika, Arise!" and "Make All Voices Count!"

"Afrika, Arise!", which was published while I was a student at Rhodes University - was a young man's response to the clarion call made by President Mbeki of leading the Re-Awakening of the Potential of the People's of Africa, which he termed the African Renaissance.

"Make All Voices Count!" was a response to the psychosis of dismissing contrarian voices within the ruling party as voices of dissent and declaring them disloyal without evaluating and engaging the critical content. This then results in the absurd case in recent history of us allowing ourselves to be led by the loudest voices instead of the most sensible.

I recall an address by Minister Trevor Manuel at the Wits Business School during which I said, “...In the transformation process, there are two specific milestones we dare not miss—the point of breakthrough and the point of departure.”

I gave an example that if you are trying as a couple to have a child, the point of breakthrough would be conception. When you fertilize that egg with a sperm and create a zygote, that is the point of breakthrough.

Between the fertilization stage and the delivery of a baby, there is an incubation period, which in human beings takes nine months. Hence, nine is considered to be the number of completion. Incidentally, the incubation period for an elephant is 22 months.

The interesting thing about breakthrough is that it sometimes takes place under such subtle circumstances that the participants themselves are blissfully unaware of the breakthrough until such time that the couple exhibits symptoms of childbirth. Then it is up to the great physician to diagnose the issue.

This past weekend, we witnessed the birth pains of a 100 year organization as twins wrestle in its womb.

We, the People remain hopeful that there shall be no miscarriage of justice.

Before the 2017 ANC National Elective Conference, I had occasion to pose a question to Pravin Gordhan at a function hosted by the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation at Wits:

Is the ANC a healthy patient with cancerous organs OR is the ANC a moribund (dying) patient with a few healthy organs that can be saved?

This question is critical to answer because our surgical solution will be informed by our diagnosis:

·      If the ANC is a healthy organization with a few cancerous organs, then the solution is to swiftly and carefully cut out the cancer before it infects the whole body.

·      If the ANC is a moribund (dying) patient with a few healthy organs that can be saved, then the humane thing to do is to harvest the healthy organs in the hope that they can be offered to other patients who need transplants and allow the 100 year old patient to die.

Nobody can deny that there is a battle going on for the soul of the ANC and the implications of who wins has a bearing on not only the ANC National Elective Conference in 2022, but the SA National Elections in 2024.

The lesson we have to draw from the Zuma years is that when we allow ourselves to be led by the loudest voices instead of the most sensible, common sense and truth becomes a casualty.

It is time for us as citizens to rediscover our own voices and raise the standard on the level of sophistication of thought we require from those who leads us.

Our power lies in the diversity of our collective thought and we must not allow ourselves to be led off a cliff like lemmings.

We, the People! Are our own Custodians of Hope.