STATE OF THE NATION
History’s bonfires delivered us to the present, and now SA must leap high
Some of the things SA needs are obvious beyond argument: more jobs, better leaders, stronger law enforcement, fewer babies, less inequality and lower expectations. What we need above all, though — and quickly — is an inspiring collective vision. The best we’ve been offered so far is the (treacly, tired and oxymoronic) "rainbow nation", but that won’t do any more. Given the parlous state of our communal morale and economy, we’re in need of a considerable upgrade: to something more dynamic, more unifying, more tangible and far more uplifting.The Verwoerdian programme may have been officially abandoned close to 30 years ago, but there are two ways in which its baleful effects continue to be felt, severely. One is economic, with patterns of income and wealth remaining radically skewed along racial lines. The other, more pertinent here, is attitudinal. Crudely put, the reason we’re unable to envision a glorious future is that we’re still, inappropriately, fixated on an ignominious past. ...
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