South Africa ( SA ) should be careful not to slide into a Hobbesian state of nature. Thomas Hobbes has a hypothetical pre-social state of nature where there is no government or common authority. In this kind of state Hobbes says life will be a “war of all against all”, characterised by constant fear, violence and lack of morality or justice. The kind of state in which individuals will be driven by self-interest and pursuit of a survival leading to a chaotic and brutal existence. By the way, Hobbes argues that war is the natural relation between humans and in human affairs nothing remains stable for long.
The once positive progress made post apartheid democratic state is being outmatched and overshadowed by the recent negative image. The revelations of the recent state graft in South Africa, the findings of the Zondo Commission, illegal mining and immigrants, to the allegations of Lieutenant General Mkhwanaze of the South African Police Service ( SAPS ) in KwaZulu-Natal, chaotic regional conferences of the ruling party in the African National Congress ( ANC ), the Iendepent Electoral Commission ( IEC ) registered three thousand hundred and seventeen political parties, raping of babies, women and grannies are all indicators of the Hobbesian state of nature. The political space is experiencing the bandwagon effect where everyone seeks to join up with power and success, especially inside the ruling party. It is said that our idea of what politics is, informs the way we judge. Everyone is called a “chief” and everyone claims to be a “cadre”. Therefore, SA should not give credence to Jean-Jacques Rousseau conclusion: “When slaves revolt , they will not create a free society, but merely change their masters.”
However, it is said that human conduct lacks the regularity found in the natural world. This is what makes the social science, politico socio-economic space to be complex and hardly straightforward. There is no such a thing as the formula given in social science. Friedrich Engels says: “People who made a revolution always see the day after that they had no idea what they were doing, that the revolution made does not in the least resemble the one they would like to make. This is what is called the irony of history, an irony which few historical personalities can escape.” Let us not disappoint those who declared freedom in their lifetime.
The destiny of the country is at the crossroad. The country desperately needs a leadership capable to decisively give hope. The already mentioned theoretical exposition should not become the mantra in the people’s revolutionary movement. *The revolutionary theory taught that the subjective forces formed of the conscious elements should always in good or bad times act upon the objective conditions for qualitative shifts towards the realisation of the objectives of the national democratic struggle.The national democratic struggle is passing through the turbulent times , self inflicted occurrences and others found on the terrain of the struggle out of our own volition.* It is said that the highest grade of politicians are those who can balance inner conviction with the talent of turning every opportunity to advantage. The movement should turn the current negatives into the need for a programme for a decisive great leap forward or to the finish line. “The Eye Of the Needle” should be smaller to allow the selection of the honest, advanced and capable to rescue the sliding movement of the and the country. The advanced elements to the front: The best woman and man should be allowed to do the job to stop the degeneration. The country’ destiny is our responsibility for us, our children and grandchildren. This can happen if there will be acknowledgement of the difficult times the struggle and country is passing through. Let us join those who have started. Sun Tzu says: “When you know yourself and others, victory is not in danger; when you know sky and earth, victory is inexhaustible.” The movement should not perish in our lifetime or generation and the country not to disintegrate while watching.
The dissatisfaction, disappointments, frustrations etcetera should not make us think about the removal without knowing what to replace with. The adverse objective conditions of the country still needs the sharpened subjective forces or people with non racial, non tribal, non sexist, non rowdy democratic intentions. No surrender, no fooling around or squandering of time when history is calling. We will do it for ourselves, children and grandchildren not to allow our country to slide into the Hobbesian state of nature.
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Jack Lesiba Matlala is the Board Secretary for the Lawrence Phokanoka Foundation. He wrote this article in his personal capacity. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of Jambo Africa Online.