When in government, ethics and morality are defined and managed by society through the Constitution and the rule of law and cannot be owned by one political formation.
In South Africa, leaders of political parties have come to see the object of attaining and retaining power as their primary function. Instead of being issue-based, they have become about placating their internal constituencies above all else.
In such an environment, unseating the incumbent leader or seeing off challengers absorbs the attention of the leadership to the detriment of the country they are supposed to be serving. All of this takes place under the cover of a false moral authority derived from being a ‘liberation movement’. While such claims to moral authority were no doubt valid during the fight against apartheid, they are inappropriate in an open democracy. Therefore, the importance of strong and uncompromising political leadership cannot be underplayed. Visionary leadership capable of mobilising support across interests and sectors and managing spoilers is required.
