Last of the Good Men

Of everyone in South African politics, i admire and even respect Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi the most. His steady, mature outlook has long been a cornerstone of common sense in the dialogue. I've met him before, back in the TRC days, and cannot forget his simple human-ness, so badly missing from the rest of the politicians.

A new letter from him today, commenting on a few concerns that we've all heard about recently in the news, let's recap:
783 publicly endorsed corruption.
12 year olds can legally have sex, but they may not kiss.

How does one respond to this insanity that really is just a downhill slide, gaining momentum and debris, threatening to destroy us all? From the article:

"
Corruption is a plague at the heart of our democracy. The President should know better than to speak like this. But as the Bible says, out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.

I may be chastised for quoting the Bible, or for openly declaring my Christian faith. It seems, looking at our media, that hostility towards faith-based worldviews is gaining pace. People prefer to speak about inalienable human rights, rather than about issues of morality. Yet for centuries the greatest minds have grappled with the means to balance the rights of all individuals within a society. The problem is not easily solved, because legality cannot adequately replace morality. The two must be brought into harmony.

Let me phrase this in a way that will be more readily accepted. There are specific challenges in South Africa that we need to address; job creation, poverty, service delivery. But underlying all we do is the necessity of shaping a society that is responsible, caring and unselfish. Because, in the end, every good policy is implemented by a human being.

Is it better to have someone doggedly fight for your right to education, or to have someone sit down and teach you? That is the difference between what is purely lawful and what is morally right.
"

PoliticsWeb