The leadership crisis in South Africa is undeniable, and it demands our immediate attention. Our political establishment is visibly deteriorating, and mediocrity has insidiously become the accepted standard, adversely impacting the entire nation. We are led by egoistic, self-serving idiots who are thinking with their big stomachs. No wonder many critical aspects of the country are falling apart.
Even the functioning of parliament itself is marred by pervasive issues, deviating from the dignified operation it should uphold. The pursuit of power and quick riches has devolved into a popularity contest, resulting in the widespread lowering of standards. It is evident that our society is reeling from these challenges, and faith in our political class is rapidly eroding.
The dangerous acceptance of mediocrity by our leaders is like a contagious disease. We live in a time where excellence is overlooked, and inept individuals have a rehearsed set of excuses that they recite at political rallies, in the media and in public spaces to placate the public. With an increasing number of leaders lacking the essential abilities and qualities to navigate a changing world, we are regrettably becoming a society of lethargic thinkers who have been leaning on superficial Marxist-Leninist slogans and quotes as a crutch for a long time.
Even our leaders know that they are promises they can never be able to fulfill. The entire political system is so corrupt that even previously trusted political prophets and analysts have been conditioned to downplay the situation while the country is on the brink of complete collapse.
Many leaders appear to be satisfied with maintaining the status quo in our country, and this decline in excellence seems to be linked to a deterioration in spiritual, ethical, and moral standards. This is not surprising, considering that we live in a country where pastors are raping children and politicians and their associates openly display opulent purchases made with embezzled public funds, all while the population suffers from poverty.
We live in a society where shameless politicians facing corruption charges are unashamedly seeking political office. In normal countries, politicians who are accused of corruption are often expected to quietly resign and fade from public view. It’s baffling how failed leaders, who have damaged our economic infrastructure and impoverished citizens, continue to be celebrated despite their poor behaviour. Shameless politicians and leaders who have collapsed institutions often attempt to rebrand themselves as victims of political differences and misunderstood geniuses.
We appear to have abandoned any standards of conduct or achievement. Meanwhile, the current environment encourages women leaders to adopt negative male traits in order to succeed, diminishing their nurturing qualities and exacerbating the overall crisis. Judging from the calibre of the leaders we choose, it seems that we have a flawed judgment when evaluating people’s characters. We often mistake arrogance for high ability, despite the negative correlation between the two.
As a nation, we are complicit, and our media is also to blame as it plays a part in this. We tolerate and encourage individuals with negative attributes such as laziness, greed, immorality, and lack of intelligence while ridiculing thoughtful and rational individuals. We reward and glorify individuals with negative traits and provide them with platforms in the media for clicks and likes. Our media shamelessly focus on their trivial matters, obsessing over their low morals and steering people away from understanding good leadership. This may seem harsh but it’s the truth.
Another concerning matter is that performance excellence is becoming the exception rather than the norm. Our society promotes lowering standards to accommodate laziness, politicising, and making a mockery of the concept of excellence. Our children are being conditioned to believe that excellence is no longer a great virtue, and any tendency to promote equality is endorsed and encouraged, regardless of its impact.
Our country has done a disservice to an entire generation of children by teaching them that there are no winners or losers. As a result, we are sharing workspaces with a generation with a sense of entitlement rather than a passion for earning their place. Our children are exposed to a system where overachievers are made to feel bad for pursuing excellence and are often belittled and labelled as nerds or teachers’ pets. In the name of equality, schools increasingly present participation awards to everyone during awards ceremonies, fostering complacency.
Furthermore, we have a system where educated and highly skilled individuals are jobless or report to uneducated and unskilled bosses who secure their positions through political connections. As a result, many people are losing interest in academics because our society no longer values and celebrates academic excellence.
Public thought is heavily influenced by political correctness, even in the selection of sports and culture representation, which prioritises diversity and political correctness over excellence. In the workplace, a generation of millennials who are only good at twanging has been consistently praised for being “great” and for speaking good English leading them to believe they are exceptional even when they may not be.
This mindset, stemming from the trend of receiving awards they did not merit, has led to a sense of entitlement, where some individuals expect a promotion simply for speaking English with a twang. The traits of overconfidence and fluency in English are frequently mistaken for intelligence and capability.
The society is so messed up that some institutions, such as schools, kindergartens, and churches, refrain from celebrating Father’s Day in order to avoid offending children with absent fathers. The issues can be traced back to the way things are done within families; structure, seniority, and hierarchy are diminishing, while lastborn children are often rewarded without having to work for it. Additionally, parents sometimes downplay one child’s achievements to protect the feelings of their underachieving siblings.
Trust and faith in leadership and the institutions they represent are rapidly diminishing. There is a growing crisis in the legitimacy and credibility of leadership, including in churches. Even the church, which used to be a symbol of all things holy, is experiencing a decline in its spiritual character. Leaders are more focused on flashy appearances and gaining material power rather than serving the people.
It’s high time we raise our expectations for leadership. The longer we accept uninspiring leadership, the longer we perpetuate a cycle of mediocrity and decline. It’s time to demand more from our leaders and ourselves, and to uphold standards of excellence and integrity.
Zenoyise John is a former journalist.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/zenoyise.john.7/about
X: @Zenoyisej
