Although my time here has been short, I have
seen and heard enough to formulate an opinion on what I think are the two
biggest challenges for Johannesburg as it moves into its third post-apartheid
decade.
Political leadership
I will quote the words of another who speaks
with more authority than me. In Cape Town I went on a tour of Robben Island, a
prison for political prisoners (including Nelson Mandela). The tour was lead by
a former 6-year prisoner himself, one who had participated in the Soweto
uprisings in the late 1980s. After the neatly packaged tour, I asked him a a
pointed question: "How do you feel about the current political situation in
South Africa?" He took a minute for his thoughts and replied as such: "I did
not think I would live to see corruption in my own party in my lifetime. We
fought to get rid of corruption, not perfect it. It is important for leadership
to remember who they are and that they can change lives."
Education
The average black male’s education terminates at age 13 (likely even earlier for females). For true economic empowerment, the closing of the wage gap must parallel a closing in the education gap in order to protect skilled labor. For future harmony between whites and blacks, a level playing field in schools is necessary to prevent arguments of favoritism in either direction. For political elections to become more than high-school popularity contests, an educated vote is necessary to raise up leaders who bring platforms of substance, not short-sighted bribes and sensationalism.
