The RISE of the “clever black”

4 October 2023

In 2012, during the Presidency of Mr Jacob Zuma, I recall a moment where my relationship with politics changed. While serving as SRC Treasurer-General at UCT, it came to me that politics is life, and that I have a responsibility to use my privilege and access to serve those most in need. The experiences of my fellow students going through really difficult situations empowered me to help and in some respects succeed, which really connected with me. My leadership journey elevated during this time.

Entering the world of work, I quickly realised that your politics are not welcomed. The psychological and legal contract is for you to be a high-performing professional who delivers value continuously. The business reciprocates by paying your salary, and the odd bonus when the business does well.

If you’re coming at a time when things are tough in the economy, well then tough for you. And so, my political light was dimmed in exchange for the pursuit of financial freedom, material wealth and the so called soft life.

Amid this tension of pursuing financial freedom and alienating my passion for politics, the 2012 moment happened. “Clever Blacks” were now the enemies of progress, and the brown- eyed boy of counter-revolutionary sentiment was immaterial. When the statement was made, and the ANC said nothing and did nothing to correct the impasse, it created deep turmoil. For me and many of my Black friends and colleagues, the ANC was our political, and intellectual home. Getting access to education, the growth of the middle class and being able to get a job in Sandton at an investment bank, seemed to be the dividends of the liberation movement. Whilst things felt like they were on a downturn, we still believed the ANC was home. But what was said could not be unsaid.

The reason this hurt so much was that our parents toiled hard for us to get a quality education. Black families place education at the core of how we will beat poverty and lift the family and community. Being clever was a command and responsibility. Therefore, the tension created by this statement and sentiment was incredibly problematic to one’s sense of identity. It could not be that being educated was a bad thing. How could the leader of the ANC alienate us like this, when we couldn’t even find political and intellectual homes in our workplaces. The had insulted the work and sacrifices of generations of parents and guardians who gave their lives so we could be educated.

Over the years, it became evident that the ANC does not have the care, intellectual depth, and vision to get us out of the chaos they were leading us into. Year in, year out, the overall quality of life was diminishing, and the internal battles of the ANC were exhausting. The ANC and its failing Black leaders became the proxy for Blackness which we had to defend.

The subtle racist comments in the pause areas were painful. The overwhelming evidence in the news of what else had gone wrong gave us very little to stand on. We were on our own, in the country of our birth, feeling alienated and dejected. The solve was to make money to protect your ego and separate yourself from this feeling of black failure. If you’re rich enough, they can’t offend you. But in a professional world with such deep racism, and discrimination, it’s always harder and longer to get there.

And so, the Black middle class and ‘Clever Blacks’ retreated into silence, and manicured estates. We committed to wear ANC regalia in public, wax lyrical about Lembede and O.R Tambo, sing struggle songs at Siyanqoba rallies, but vote UDM and some point EFF as the holding vote, until the ANC sorts itself out. Unfortunately, that day never came, and thank goodness for that. The day we became too clever to matter is the day many of us wrote our divorce papers with the ANC.

The middle and professional class are abandoning the ANC. Whilst there is still fear of the loss of patronage or victimisation for leaving, people are becoming more courageous. The polycrisis we have found ourselves in for almost a decade is indefensible, abusive, and embarrassing. But something else has happened.

Political alternatives such as RISE Mzansi offer, amongst others, the Clever Black a political, intellectual, and spiritual home. This is why we are convinced that RISE Mzansi is not an opposition, but an alternative that will replace the ANC as the moral, political, and intellectual centre of South Africa, in a single generation. People can now see that the political establishment, current opposition, and some new irrelevant breakaway parties do not offer a political culture and proposition that will shift Mzansi forward.

It has been almost 30 years since we won political freedom. But against a standard of what was possible and where we could be, there is much to be angry and disappointed about. As the Clever Black awakens from his or her liberation movement hangover, they are slowly realising that no one is coming to save us, and that through RISE Mzansi, we have a chance to build something fresh and future fit. We are not a breakaway of disgruntled politicians. We are intelligent people who are ready take their rightful place in leading society in the highest offices across the country.

In his book, The Manifesto, the National Leader of RISE Mzansi highlights the importance of the professional and middle class in deepening democracy and changing the fortunes of countries. The intellectual class are important in developing grand plans, and populating these plans with capable, ethical, and caring leaders who get things done. In being organised, the professional class can accelerate change due to proximity to influence. We have seen how successful the private sector has become by unlocking Black talent in senior positions.

The country currently cannot enjoy that change because of gatekeeping and the uncaring, corrupt old guard who are disconnected to the realities of the world. They fear a life outside of politics because they have no real value to offer and cannot afford to lose their luxurious lives built on the hard-earned money of South Africans.

And so, it is incumbent upon us to take power and get them out. They will not exit on their own volition.

On the evening of 5th of October 2023, the Gordon Institute of Business Science is hosting Songezo Zibi as a guest to explore policy reforms being tabled by RISE Mzansi, and to talk broadly about the politics of RISE. As a leader in RISE Mzansi and as an alumnus at GIBS, I will be attending to hear how people feel about where we find ourselves, and what must be done to change the status quo. It is a proud moment because I have found a home in RISE, one where my cleverness is a gift to be celebrated, harnessed, and protected. It is at RISE Mzansi that all South Africa who have been abandoned by this government, can find a home to feel seen and safe. It is time for the ‘Clever Black’ to RISE.

By Tebogo Moalusi, National Spokesperson of RISE Mzansi, 4 October 2023