Desmond Tutu backs Dr. Ramphele
South Africa's constitutional democracy was very hard-earned. People were harassed, beaten, locked up, banished, forced into exile and killed for it. They included supporters of the UDF, ANC, PAC, BCM; members of religious, cultural, sporting, business and youth formations; young and old, men and women - across our beautiful land.
When push came to shove, God blessed South Africa with an extraordinarily gracious and magnanimous leader. After the hundreds of years of suffering that preceded it, our relatively peaceful transformation was a miracle.
Working together, politicians across the political spectrum developed a Constitution that has been lauded the world over.
We were highly mobilised and active citizens with a common purpose. We were crowned world champions on the rugby field and won the most prestigious continental soccer trophy at our first attempt. The world looked on in awe; the sky was our only limit.
Nearly 20 years into our democracy the graciousness and magnanimity that characterised our political firmament have to a great extent been surrendered at the altar of power and wealth. We read compelling stories of state corruption and misspending in our newspapers every day, not that we can ever be sure they are true because nobody ever seems to appear in court. We fought for the right to protest, but we abuse the right by damaging property, looting, terrorising others - hurling excrement at politicians! We laid the foundations upon which to restore the dignity of our poorest and most marginalised people, but we are struggling to build the house.