LETTER | We often forget that SA’s future is in our hands

It is that simple — and yet, somehow, we often forget it. The power to determine who leads the country, how government operates and the direction of our nation lies not with parties or politicians, but with the people who put crosses on ballots. And right now, that power is more volatile than ever.

For decades, the ANC dominated the political landscape. But decline was inevitable. Poor service delivery, corruption scandals and the actions of key figures have eroded trust in the ruling party.

Voters reacted — some stayed and grumbled, others walked away and many searched for alternatives. Perhaps this is precisely what propelled Nelson Mandela to warn that SA needed not only political and economic reconstruction, but an “RDP of the soul”. Mandela understood that a nation cannot survive on liberation credentials alone.

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Without integrity, moral leadership, accountability and a sense of common purpose, even the strongest political movement eventually loses the trust of the people. Mandela also issued another warning that now feels more relevant than ever. He told South Africans that if the ANC ever did to the people what the previous regime had done, then the people should do to the ANC what they had done to that regime.

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