.. And the hero needs to be us
The cornerstone for the existence of any organisation is the problem it addresses and seeks to solve. In South Africa at the moment, there is no shortage of issues that need addressing across the major themes that South Africans care most about, which tend to include jobs, crime, health, education and human settlements to name a few. While the context that we find ourselves in is indeed rife with adversities, it also presents opportunity.
One illustration of this is that we may have seen the last of the ‘big men to the rescue’ in the political sphere. As such, 2024 could see us shift away from one party majoritarianism, towards a minority or coalition government system. I, for one, am hoping that this move towards a more people centric, diverse, and heterogeneous arrangement in government, will spill over into other areas of society. In fact, I’m willing to bet that it would because, as I mentioned at the top, we may have seen the last of the big men to the rescue.
Should this indeed be the case, the market for messaging from solutions orientated civil society bodies will grow.
As it stands, the civil society sector tends to be lumped together into broad categories, which don’t always illustrate the niche competence that each organisation in the sector has. However, in the context of a ‘South Africa in shambles’ the opportunity exists for civil society to become the heroes of society. That is to say, to become seen all the more as leaders in the sectors that operate in.
Civil society has the potential to engage a disenfranchised and disillusioned populace, and drive change for the good of the many who live in dire circumstances. Being a ‘hero’ in this sense means to be a leader, one that offers a platform for others to reach their full potential and if this is replicated enough, society may be transformed.
The gap is open, there is no shortage of issues to communicate on to bring the public into the fold and build momentum towards an age where we will truly see ‘we the people’ prosper and thrive.