Mzansi Leg.....ends???? : Part 2

To continue on the first part of this blog (http://thermanus.blogspot.com/2012/06/mzansi-legends-part-1.html) All we need is proper leadership and organizations. How can we build something solid without a good foundation and a vision driven by disciplined leadership? Reuel Khoza the Chairman of Nedbank was criticized a couple of months ago for the manner in which he communicated his opinion to government. It was a valid observation, we need visionary leadership. In his words “Leadership at all levels should demonstrate a commitment to creative freedom"

So I pose a question, post Mandela can we say our SA political leaders are moving in the same direction as our football perhaps? Backwards ? Mbeki like Bafana post 1996 did what he could and I think he did a fair if not good job initially, but the problem is that soccer like our political leaders has been going downhill since 1996. In football post the international ban being lifted from 1992 with regards to the WC (World Cup) we didn't qualify for 1994, but we qualified for the 1998 WC and we qualified for 2002 WC and didn't make out of the group stages for both. We didn't qualify for 2006 and automatically qualified for 2010 because we were hosting but didn't make it out of the group stages. AFCON (African Cup of Nations) post 1992 ban we didn't qualify for 1994, we won it in 1996, we were runners up in the 1998, we came 3rd in 2000, quarter finals 2002, group stages 2004, 2006, 2008. We didn't qualify 2010 and 2012 and we have automatic qualification for 2013 yet again because we are hosting. 

That’s soccer; now let’s look at the trend of our political leaders. Do you see a pattern? We had apartheid till 1991/92 so till then some political leaders were banned (Mandela etc). Then we had our first elections in 1994 and there was proper and fair leadership from then till 1999. Mbeki came in and did what he could post that which I think started well, was not as good as the previous, but was good. Then like soccer it just kept decreasing till 2009 elections (last major tournament). Till our next elections which are our “next major tournaments” we will have the same leaders. Can I ask you this? Our last President and our next President, are they being selected (automatic qualification) because there is nobody else or because they are the best? Is it automatic qualification because we are hosting, or is it qualification because we were the best in our group and we earned our title chances?

As Khaya Dlanga recently tweeted, he feels Motlanthe may be the last true ANC man. That also makes you realise its an end of an era perhaps, they are getting old and phasing out, the future is ours so we need to take charge in all spheres from politically to football to everything.

If we improve the leadership, fix SAFA amongst other things and exclude politics from it, we will start seeing results. The goal posts have moved since the 1996 soccer playing generation and political leaders. They grew up playing and fighting for a stronger purpose and love, and money had little to do with it. When they were growing up they didn't have money, they just had a cause and passion.

We need to create our future legends, but the current and upcoming players and leaders need to learn to balance the different generations in order to be legends and lead our country on and off the field into the future.

Our current and future leaders of the next generation didn't necessarily grow up with any power, however they worked hard for different reasons to get where they are today and I think though some of them grew up with nothing, they have become something, they have enough history, knowledge and appreciation to use the power effectively & responsibly for the benefit of the people.

So until politics leaves football, our legends will never be created again. But since that’s not likely perhaps we have to improve our leaders in political positions and power. Our original leaders generation post the struggle are phasing out, our new future political leaders could be your Khaya Dlanga's, Andile Khumalo's, Given Mkhari's just naming off the top of my head. The entrepreneurs, the businessmen and the content managers with enough integrity and leadership potential to have an idea on how to make it work given the old achievements and mistakes, current circumstances and obstacles to create a brighter future for more than themselves.

Until then I do think Mzansi Legends will phase out in football, politics and other public sections. Politics obviously having a bigger impact on the country and as a whole will influence a lot of them.

I do also think a major contributing factor that has changed is money. Money has become the substitute goal for freedom and expression and there is nothing wrong with that, however Nelson Mandela once quoted "Money won’t create success, the freedom to make it will." My question is "Is money a means to an end, or is money the ends?"

In closing I do think we have our future leaders here now, Given Mkhari also once said "Lack of leadership is not the absence of people in leadership positions"

Until there is proper leadership, development and change in mind-set, we will be assured that Mzansi LEG...will....END....