Introduction
All around I see cultures and communities accepting responsibility for the own wellbeing. I see ordinary citizens taking care of the parks and common green areas in our city. Concerned stakeholders are cleaning up garbage in streets, along rivers and on beaches. Potholes are being fixed by residents and farmers grade their own roads. Our neighbourhood recently upgraded our security systems with AI Cameras and arranged for additional surveillance personnel. Rooftop solar panels have proliferated across our city and a rhythmic humming sound can be heard in the background during load shedding hours as generators step into the ESKOM gap to provide power to sustain our homes and businesses. More and more parents opt to educate their children at home. Such are the examples of South Africans who have realized that the social compact between the state and its citizens is on shaky ground, and who have accepted the responsibility for their own future. They are the ones who have realized there is no one coming to save South Africa. They have accepted the call to adventure.
Change starts at home.
The reality that we can no longer rely on the state for safety, security, education, basic services, and hard infrastructure is one of the key driving forces behind the establishment of various forms of enclaves of excellence within society. The leadership of neighbourhoods, communities, sports clubs, religious groups, schools, universities, and industry sectors are pulling together to strategize a response towards the ominous spell of socio-economic turmoil because of South Africa’s neglect of key cultures which have sustained our communities in the past.
But, despite the numerous principled enclaves of excellence emerging all over society, the bulk of South Africans are facing major challenges without the structural support of healthy communities. Such vulnerable citizens have very little protection against the inevitable hardships that are faced by typical South African communities daily. Violence and crime, discrimination based on racial preferences, poverty and injustice characterize our daily existence. We have neglected the technical leadership within many cultures and therefore find ourselves in uncharted, stormy waters. The once renowned technical culture of South Africans, has emigrated or has been marginalized due to black economic empowerment and labour laws which make it very difficult to develop technical competence and teams able to provide the required services in a complex, demanding, global environment.
Jordan Peterson once said, [1]
“When ignorance destroys culture, monsters will emerge.“
Perceiving the socio-economic environment prevalent in South Africa, something is wrong. Danger is lurking among communities in the southernmost country on the African continent. People don’t have work. People are hungry. Monsters have emerged…
Who is the Dragon?
Every hero’s journey needs a dragon to be slayed. This is the fabric that epic stories are made off. At present, there are many battles raging in South Africa, and each one has its own dragon to be slain. But who is the true enemy? What do the monsters look like, and do we as a nation know and understand the real identity of the dragon to be slain?
Sun Tzu, the Chinese philosopher, general and military strategist, in his masterpiece on warfare strategy, “the Art of War” [2], emphasizes the importance of understanding one’s enemy. In the chapter “Attack by Stratagem”, Tzu states the following:
“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.”
I believe South Africa finds itself in a difficult position, because we don’t know or understand the enemy, and we struggle to understand ourselves. Monsters have emerged.
In a recent interview with activist and author, Zulaikha Patel, Dr Sizwe Mpofu-Walsh , on his talk show XSMW, discusses the topic of a universal disappointment with the state of our country, among most South Africans. In this edition, titled “The Rainbow Nation Was a Scam“, Mpofu-Walsh shares his view regarding the apparent disparity between our bold vision, constitution and progressive laws of the country, versus the regressive outcome and harsh reality faced by many South Africans. The reason for South Africa’s failure to live up to expectations is questioned, whereupon Patel responds by blaming greedy politics and the poor governance by “liberators” as symptoms of the African continent’s failures. She is quoted as saying that “the enemy looks like us”, and thereby implies that Africans have reached a point in history where we have to accept the responsibility for many of the continent’s failures.
The enemy looks like us…
Many similar debates are published on social media platforms on an ongoing basis. Historical figures such as the pioneers Jan van Riebeeck and Cecil John Rhodes or leaders like Shaka Zulu have been labeled as the dragons. But, these figures are no longer with us and fighting them is like punching air. Some refer to white monopoly capital or new imperialism as the dragon, while others name corruption, politicians, cadres, or the Guptas as public enemy number one. And then we have the likes of Julius Malema who regularly encourages his followers to kill a (white) ‘boer’, to kill a (white) farmer.
I believe we, as a nation, are not spending enough time assessing the root cause of our disposition. We don’t know the real enemy we face. In my opinion, this confusion about the enemy’s identity is a major contributing factor to our hero’s refusal of the call. We have been naming our dragons for the best part of the post-apartheid democracy, but many of the so-called dragons to be slain are fixations from the past or ideological Minotaurs. I believe it is time for all South Africans to reevaluate our Monomyth and to have constructive, meaningful discussions about the way forward in facing the beasts present in our societies. There are many ways one could facilitate such discussions to propel us forward. The predominant discussions that have characterized our post democracy conversations, have largely been focused on the past. This approach has not helped us much in moving forward. Maybe it is time to talk about the future, or at best the present. Let’s discuss topics that beckon adventures and confront the danger lurking in our shadows.
The Monsters I Know
South Africa’s ‘hero’ is stuck in the departure lounge of the Call to Adventure, where discussions are preoccupied with ideology, history, and the cultural differences between fellow countrymen, while danger is lurking in the shadows. The danger reminds me of the classic science-fiction action film “Predator” released in 1987. In the film, Arnold Schwarzenegger is the hero, who along with his military rescue team, encounter the deadly Predator in a Guatemalan Central American rainforest. The Predator’s main advantage over Schwarzenegger and his comrades, is its cloaking device that makes it virtually impossible to see the monster against the backdrop of the forest vegetation. Like the Predator in the rainforest, the monsters that are lurking in shadows of South African boardrooms and hiding among our country’s dilapidated infrastructure are not easily identified.
In recent years, I have identified four of these Predator-like monsters (there could be more). All four of them are deadly and a fearful sight to behold. Each of them is a formidable opponent that will require extra ordinary social and technical leadership to be slain. I have given them the names of “No Respect”, “No Trust”, “No Process” and “No Owner”. Slowly but surely these beasts are breaking down the fragile fibres of society.
No one is safe.
The Predators
“No Trust” and “No Respect”
My first encounter with the Predators occurred many years ago while attending a workshop hosted in a big conference venue. The audience was comprised of agents representing the client and a hand-picked selection of built environment specialists. Architects, quantity surveyors, project managers, engineers and the like. The reason for the gathering was to plan an intervention strategy to curb the progressive decline in functionality of state-owned infrastructure. Instead of constructive dialog and structured planning, the discussions quickly turned into a shouting contest dominated by blame shifting, accusations and threats.
In the back corners of the conference room, I saw my first two Predators. “No Trust” and “No Respect” having a field day. Their strategy was obvious. No enterprise can exist without the reciprocity of trust and respect between stakeholders. Over time, these two beasts have broken down respect and trust between the public and private sector stakeholders, between contractors and agents, between agents and clients. As a result of the works by “No Trust” and “No Respect”, failed projects characterize the South African built environment sector landscape.
“No Process”
My encounter with the third Predator occurred during an unprecedented drought which plagued numerous parts of South Africa. Many communities were suffering and experiencing untold hardships due to a lack of water for man and beast. I provided engineering services to several so-called emergency drought relief programs during this time. Due to the “emergency” status of the projects, many of the procurement regulations, environmental authorizations, engineering design processes and validation of owner’s requirements were waved to speed up the project delivery time.
But, in the boardrooms where meetings were held, I saw him. “No Process” was causing havoc. Millions of Rands were wasted and we have a few white elephants to show for our efforts. Today, man and beast are still experiencing hardship due to lack of water. Any solution to a complex problem requires a structured process to be followed, whereby skilled effort and expertise need to be applied, over time, to bring forth the most suitable, sustainable, and cost-effective solution. Skipping critical process milestones or phase gates drastically increases the risk of failure to meet requirements. Due to the handiwork of “No Process”, abandoned projects and failing infrastructure litter our communities.
“No Owner”
The fourth Predator, namely “No Owner”, is one whom I regularly encounter. We live in a society where many have abdicated responsibility. But Ownership implies responsibility and care. I walk around buildings, water and wastewater treatment plants, I drive on roads and often wonder: “who is the owner?”
“No Owner” killed them all.
On the 31st of August 2023, a fire broke out in a multi-story building located in central Johannesburg, killing more than 70 people in the blaze. While Social Development Minister, Lindiwe Zulu, in an interview with ENCA, blamed the apartheid regime legacy for the disaster, and dwelt on failed city revitalization plans and explained the South African government’s response to the crisis, I could hear “No Owner” celebrating destruction in the background among the ashes, barrier tape and body bags.
Previous Related Articles
[1] The Fruit of Our South African Culture.
[2] Culture: Structures and Dynamics.
[3] Culture: The path of inevitable change.
[4] The High Price of Neglecting Technical Leadership in SA’s development Journey
[5] The call of Adventure: To Heed or Not to Heed
References
[1] Peterson, J.B. (2021). Beyond Order – 12 more rules for life. Penguin Random House, Morris Chambers, 32 Nassau Street, Dublin D02 YH68.
[2] Tzu, S. (2015). The Art of War – The Original Authoritative Edition Translated from the Chinese with Introduction and Critical Notes by Lionel Giles. Chiron Academic Press, Wisehouse, Sweden.
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