Bishop Mosa Sono
Pretoria - We are 29 years into our democracy, yet we have become the most unequal society in the world.
The indicators are that South Africa is in serious trouble, and we must acknowledge that fact. It is a sad state of affairs that worries all of us, both young and old, rich and poor and all the races that make us a diverse nation.
No one is spared as food inflation is on the rise, the price of electricity, fuel and the cost of credit has everyone struggling to meet their contractual obligations with creditors or to put food on the table. Salaries still remain low while costs have gone up tremendously, and more people are being laid off as businesses struggle. The burden is too enormous to bear, and it affects our mental and physical health.
Much as all of us are affected, the most vulnerable groups of the elderly, unemployed, poor, and the youth are worse off because of their circumstances. The poorest of the poor are at the receiving end of this scourge.
They have no voice, security, health services, drivable roads, water infrastructure and many other essentials, like drinking water.
The sad thing is they cast their votes and elected people they thought would bring their dreams to life. The last 29 years speak to the betrayal of those dreams, as most still live under the same conditions as in the apartheid years.
We are facing the challenges below and more; Eskom black outs, little or no economic growth, record youth unemployment, excessive cost of living, dysfunctional public service, increased criminality, elevated levels of corruption, dysfunctional state-owned entities, porous borders, and infrastructure crisis.
We have people who have given their lives for South Africa to be a non-sexist, non-racial and equal society; sadly, those ideals have yet to be realised under a democratically elected government.
Their dream was for a prosperous nation where everyone was equal and could only be judged by the content of their character and nothing else.
Their struggle was not for the benefit of individuals but about the transformation of society. As we reflect on the past 29 years, sadly, that is not the case, and it is concerning because the picture does not look promising for the future of our beloved country.
Those who gave up their lives and liberties to wage a struggle for a democratic South Africa realised that their lives could have an influence not only on their immediate family and local community but the city and even the nation. The lives we live as individuals affect not only ourselves but also those around us and the world.
This is the time for wise, godly people around us to provide guidance to avoid any catastrophic end to the dreams of many who sacrificed their lives and livelihoods for a better, prosperous and free South Africa.
We need those multitudes of counsellors to step up and guide us out of the trouble we are in as a society and a nation.
We should stand up and be counted to help in steering the country in the right direction. A time for self-preservation is out of the question. We should unite under the banner “Let us lift South Africa out of Trouble”. I call on all of us to pray earnestly and consistently every day for divine intervention.
We have a beautiful country with potential. Individuals with selfish and evil intentions will always be there, but we need to isolate them and ensure that they fail in their quest to make South Africa a failed state.
You are my brother and my sister, and together, we can turn things around, let us start now and pontificate positivity and act on turning the situation around. It is possible. Proverbs 11, verse 1 and verse 14, shares wise words which should be embraced by all who have an interest in a successful country.
* Sono is the Presiding Bishop of Grace Bible Church.
Pretoria News