Why South Africans Must Rise for South Africa

I love the above picture.

In August last year I left a well-paying job at Absa Group because I could no longer accept the state of my country anymore. I could not see how I could guarantee the security of my children's future if all I cared about what what I earn, the things I could buy, the places I could go to, the life I could live while millions more lose hope all around me.

I was and remain uncomfortable with how comfortable many of us had become with lamenting, doing nothing and not wanting to take a risk.

Together with my friends, Lorato Tshenkeng, Luzuko Koti (now late, RIP) and Lukhona Mnguni we founded the Rivonia Circle to do work we thought we knew where it would take us, but we turned out to be wrong. It would take us where destiny took us.

Then enter Tessa Dooms and the idea of something called “Democracy Builder”. It has been a phenomenon. The image above is now so emblematic of our work – bringing South Africans from all walks of life together to discuss one thing: how to make our beloved land better for everyone. This image was taken last weekend at The Galleria where we hosted the Mobilising People’s Power to Rise conference.

It was beautiful. Business executives and entrepreneurs mingled with the unemployed, Black with White, the old with the young just as themselves – no titles, no hierarchy, no monopoly on dreams and ideas. My eyes watered so many times I briefly left the venue to compose myself.

They gave me hope that it is possible to set our country right, to make it better for everyone, to make it a shining light on the hill, once more. These people, these patriotic South Africans who left their families and personal commitments to come to our gatherings (also in Durban, Mthatha, East London and Mahikeng) shared one thing: a desire to see a better South Africa.

It’s not just the people who came to Saturday’s gathering. We have also reached out to numerous South Africans with expertise in a wide variety of areas and asked them to do their patriotic duty and reimagine our country anew. Nobody says no, ever. That is hope.

So, this past weekend participants at our conference discussed the idea of a social and political movement to put the right people in positions of political power. It ended with a pledge, and here it is:

Our Pledge To Each Other

We the people, having attended the ‘Mobilising People’s Power to Rise’ event on 26 November 2022,

Acknowledge that South Africa is a country in deep crisis with a broken political system and a leadership vacuum.

Acknowledge that millions of South Africans do not have hope, have no jobs and no food to put on the table. Violence in our society makes us unsafe in our homes, schools and communities. Our children are dying of hunger, they cannot play freely and their future is stolen by corrupt politicians.

Recognise that South Africans:

1.????Want to participate in generating and implementing solutions;

2.????Want leaders with track records of solutions not promises;

3.????Want to build a new political culture;

4.????Seek public representatives accountable to the people and not to political parties;

5.????Want an economy that works for everyone, not just a few;

6.????Desire freedom from fear; and

7.????Desire a capable state that delivers on the promises of the Constitution.

?

Therefore, We Pledge to:

1.????Be loyal to the South African Constitution in all we do.

2.????Work together to build an inclusive movement, driven by the people, on the foundation of new alternative politics to contest for political power in Election 2024.

3.????Work in our communities and volunteer to find solutions to make our communities safe and prosperous.

4.????To be organizers, volunteers and develop ethical, accountable leaders capable of leading our country and communities.

As a result of this pledge, we will now have the Rise Campaign. The purpose of this campaign is to mobilise ordinary South Africans to rise to the challenge of making South Africa a better place at community and national level. We are challenging them to use their experience, skills and goodwill to work in an organised fashion to:

ü?Do community work, however ‘small’ the contribution, and to do so in an organised fashion as people who believe in this pledge.

ü?Convince someone you admire to accept the responsibility of national political leadership.

ü?Recruit more volunteers to convince more people to be part of the Rise Campaign until it becomes a movement of +1m people.

If you are reading this and you want to get involved, click on the embedded link. Cheering on is not enough. Getting involved will make a difference.

I am very inspired by the many, many people who have put up their hands to do this work. They are everything from business executives and entrepreneurs to unemployed guys who battle to get to meetings because they need taxi fare. Yet, they come, they show commitment to their and South Africa's future.

Will this work? I don’t know. But I do know that if I do nothing and choose to be a critic or a cheerleader, nothing will change for the better. Instead, it will change for the worse – and I never want to explain to my children what I was doing when things got so bad that they don’t have a future.