Nwabisa Makunga: Take deeper look at Save SA

Tonight scores of people are expected at the Nangoza Jebe Hall in New Brighton to join the first mass meeting of the Save South Africa campaign in Port Elizabeth. The meeting is likely to be packed. The campaign itself resonates with the vibrant culture of activism in Nelson Mandela Bay Metro.

Its rallying call – Jacob Zuma must go – echoes the overwhelming sentiments expressed on various platforms by the people of this city, including ANC members.

Led by businessmen Sipho Pityana and Khusta Jack, and other activists, this national movement is a public cry to all citizens to take a stand against the abuse of power, corruption and the general leadership decay in which our nation finds itself.

“It is aimed at explaining why we think President Zuma is an enabler for continued corruption, and enlisting public support for our call to get rid of him,” Pityana told this newspaper this week.

Let me say up front that I subscribe to the fundamental message of Save South Africa.

It is common cause that, particularly over the last year, it has become even more apparent that our democracy is under attack.

Our nation faces onslaught from a gang of rogues hellbent on undermining our constitution and the sovereignty of our beautiful republic.

Therefore, the situation calls for an active citizenry, across all sectors, to rise and defend our constitution and our democracy, and to insist on better, inclusive governance.

It also demands patriotic men and women to step out from the shadows of political allegiance to advance this cause, especially when historic political bonds are no longer about the betterment of the people. This, I agree with. However, at the centre of the campaign at Nangoza Jebe Hall tonight sits a colossal elephant in the room.

That is the fundamental issue of trust between different classes living in one of the world’s most unequal societies.

Delivering a powerful speech at the Johannesburg Mining Indaba last month, Pityana said: “When leadership fails as spectacularly as ours has done, it is ultimately ordinary citizens who must find the courage to speak out in defence of the constitution, and the sovereignty that it guarantees.

“If there is an assault on the public purse, and an apparent attempt to unlock the Treasury to accelerate patronage to benefit a well-connected few, it is civil society – and this includes the business community -that must demand better.”

I am certain that people from different walks of life will agree that the country’s leadership has failed spectacularly.

To a degree, they will also agree that it will take ordinary citizens to get us back on the right path.

However, in the spirit of reflection, I believe it is important to take a closer look at the strands that make up this band we call ordinary citizens.

The criticism levelled against the Save South Africa campaign, particularly by the poor, is that it is driven by privileged folk who found their voice only when the actions of Zuma and his gang became so incredibly disastrous that even the rich were no longer shielded from the effects.

The criticism is that those who hold economic power were silent, or spoke in hushed tones, when the government slaughtered workers in Marikana for demanding better pay.

They were silent when Andries Tatane was killed for demanding better services in Ficksburg.

They are not angered enough when toddlers are gunned down in Gelvandale because the government is losing the fight against gangsters. The list is endless. Whether you believe this criticism is fair or not, ultimately it is there.

And it goes beyond flimsy, misguided perceptions.

It goes to the heart of solidarity and therefore the success of the democratic project to bridge inequality.

The response to it will shape, or at the very least influence, the path this nation will take when Zuma is no longer in office.

Understand this, I am not at all suggesting that the haves have done nothing else apart from paying mandatory taxes to contribute to the development project of this country.

That would be disingenuous and outrageous at best.

I am simply advocating for a comprehensive dialogue which tackles the scepticism about this campaign, particularly from those for whom the result of bad governance is a daily struggle for basic survival. This scepticism is underpinned by the question: why only now?

Political analyst Mcebisi Ndletyana argues that the timing is not necessarily only about protecting the business interests of Pityana and company, as suggested by critics.

It is that for many who fought for democracy, the penny has finally dropped.

The denial has stopped as it has become increasingly apparent that yesterday’s heroes have become today’s villains.

And, Ndletyana argues, regardless of our different vantage points, for the sake of our nation, this predatory elite must be stopped.

While I understand this argument, I also believe that it would be tragic to tackle only the need for leadership change without equally asking what more can be done to address the structural class inequalities that so easily divide us.