From Listening to Hearing - to Action

Seven years ago I was Editor of Business Day, and exposed more than ever before exposed to just how seriously wrong things were going in South Africa. Over the years I came to believe that only a total overhaul or reset of the country would deliver the fruits of democracy. I simply could not see how we could keep doing the same things and deliver better outcomes when all indications were that every measure of success was deteriorating fast.

On 19 April, we introduced RISE Mzansi to the country and the world (we got unexpectedly detailed international coverage. Although in terms of South African law you have to be a registered political party to contest elections, a mere element of what our mission is about, we always knew we have to build something bigger - a Movement.

If you are wondering why, I hope what I write below will help you understand. Changing a whole society is not the job of political parties alone. It needs millions of people to choose to take certain actions on a regular or daily basis. A key agent in that mission is state power - the ability to legislate, build or change institutions to get the job done better, but it is not enough.

Since we launched RISE on 19 April, we have been to several cities around the country – especially townships. In all these meetings, attended by hundreds of people each time – we encourage people to speak about anything in their hearts that they believe needs attention.?

Two themes are raised sharply each time, and in a visceral way.

The first relates to individual, family, and community traumas. The struggles people go through are traumatising. So many people speak of suicides, drug, or alcohol addictions. Painfully, they speak of looking for proper therapy – a basic public health need and finding nothing. They are left to struggle, cope and survive on their own.

If medical aid schemes pay for therapy, then our public health system should do so, too, especially in deprived and vulnerable communities such as many of us come from.

The second issue relates to drug and alcohol abuse and addiction, and the resultant violent crime in the home and in the community. Young people who are already traumatised, are further depressed by lack of opportunity and hope. They speak of watching children and siblings wasting away and falling into dark holes of despair.

They are called all manner of names such as "nyaope boys", "amphara" etc. Generally, they are regarded as a policing problem, but drug and alcohol addiction are public health issues. Psychological trauma requires a public health system response, too. We are a society that does not think that these issues require the response they deserve, only the jackboot approach of tough policing or community vigilantism due to frustration.

These problems may look insurmountable, but they aren’t, not if we start doing something now, however little. I suspect there are people reading this post who are trained counsellors. Alternatively, someone reading this post knows someone who is a trained counsellor. The same may be true of people who work in spaces or platforms fighting drug and alcohol addiction. They are all needed.

Some may be mental health advocates and educators (knowledge of mental health is a big need). If you are or know someone who is keen to spend some of their time helping in the communities we have been to (in Buffalo City, Ethekwini, City of Cape Town, Tshwane, City of Johannesburg etc), please click on this link https://www.risemzansi.org/get-involved and let us know if you can help. We will build a database of people who can assist in communities to which they are close.

Please share this link with anyone you know that you believe may feel moved enough to want to be part of the solution in some way.

Such issues cannot wait for an organisation like ours to win an election before they are properly attended to. Human suffering should not extend one more minute if we can help it.

I do not know how many lives would be saved by your once a month (or whatever interval works for you) generosity, but even if just one life was saved, it would be a big difference anyways. One day we will have the government we deserve, and this is part of the journey – but that does not stop us from doing something as individuals and as a collective.

You do not have to intend to vote for RISE next year to be part of this. You just need to be touched enough to help a person, a family or a community even if it is once or twice a year. It all counts.