Editor’s Pulpit

Find the light at the end of the tunnel, it’s there!

South Africans are good people. 93% of S outh Africans give to social causes (with donations, with time and with materials). Ordinary individuals donate R12bn annually, the corporate sector R5bn and we have 100 000 NGOs that are working to make a difference. Yet our headlines are dominated by stories of crime, corruption, HIV / Aids, poor education and lack of delivery.

Our positive energy, so much of which is below the radar, needs to be mobilised; good people need to connect. We need to be visible – for good to prevail. Movement for Good starts with you. We all, in our individual capacities, can make a difference. Each person has got the capacity to change not only their community or even their family, but society as a whole, so that the whole of South Africa can benefit from our own individual actions. “It is about personal responsibility. It is about not saying THEY must fix it, but I can fix it. I can help create the country I want my children to live in,” says Yvonne Johnston of the International Marketing Council of South Africa (IMC), custodian of Brand South Africa.

The Movement for Good doesn’t have an end date. Instead, it will use milestones to motivate all South Africans to work for good. Themba Maseko, CEO of the GCIS says “an active citizen is someone who talks South Africa up, votes, doesn’t bribe, or do crime, initiates or participates in community projects, does their bit to save energy and treats others with tolerance, dignity and respect.”

“If we work together, we can transform South Africa by creating an unstoppable momentum, and ultimately a tipping point,” adds Garth Japhet, Executive Director of Heartlines.

Here’s a wonderful message from Alan Knott- Craig, MD at iBurst: “The future was rosy on 31 December 2007, but suddenly everyone is buying candles and researching property in Perth! A combination of recession in the USA, global equity market negativity, high interest rates, the National Credit Act and power outages have combined to create the perfect storm. But dont panic! This is not the first time there’s been doom and gloom. Every few years, the same thing happens. We experience massive economic growth, everyone is optimistic and buying imported delicacies, and holiday homes, and luxury cars. The positivity gets ahead of itself and the economy overheats, and then panic sets in because the economy seems to be collapsing, when it’s simply making an adjustment back to a reasonable level.

“It happened in 1989, when SA defaulted on its international loans and the stock market and Rand crashed, it happened in 1994 when the ANC took power and everyone thought war would break out, it happened in 1998 when interest rates hit 25% and you couldn’t give away your house, and it happened in 2001 when Osama arranged for two Boeings to fly into the tallest buildings in New York!

“On each of those occasions, everyone thought it was the end of the world and that there was no light in sight. And on each occasion, believe it or not, the world did not actually end, it recovered and in fact things continued to get better.

“2008 will be a tough year, but I also see it as a great opportunity to seize the day whilst everyone else is whinging and get a front-seat on the inevitable boom that we’ll experience in 2009, 2010 and beyond. “SA still has the best weather in world! We’re lucky enough to possess a huge chunk of the worlds resources, ie gold, platinum, coal, iron. The growth in I ndia and China will continue to accelerate, and so will their demand for our resources. The Government has already embarked on massive infrastructure projects (some of them a tad late, ie electricity), and this will pump money into the economy.

“So, ignore the doomsayers, install a timer on your geyser, and buy cheaper coffee for a couple of months.”

There is a better future ahead of us, if we only make it happen and don’t wait for others to do it on our behalf!