One of my very special brothers delivered his inaugural address as a full professor at UCT the other day. He reflected on his work on social accountability particularly in the health context, and delivered a heartwarming and humorous personal account of his professional and academic journey from a small town in KZN to the global stage. The Vice Chancellor warned in his introduction that us mere mortals in the audience may not follow everything, no doubt referring to the ‘complexity’ of scientific academic language. What followed was my brother’s trademark eloquence, devoid of academic jargon, in presenting his academic collaborations with seriously qualified peers, his writings and formation as a social justice activist opposing apartheid, and the influence of his family, his faith, and his communities(many because he connects with quite diverse people) in shaping his fundamental values and principles.
The crooked clowns that have been appearing before the Madlanga Commission prompted me to acknowledge Prof Lionel Green-Thompson’s example. The police and municipal leaders who are either suspended or charged with corruption and mismanagement at the moment were appointed at some point as the best candidates to lead those public institutions. Listening to them duck and dive under questioning, and watching them wipe the sweat that comes with lying gave me pause to reflect. We are in an election year and will vote for people to represent us at local government, that sphere of government closest to the people and most directly involved in and impacting our daily lives where we live.
South Africans have the opportunity to choose leaders who will represent community interest for the next five years. We should think carefully of what type of person we want to vote into office. That inaugural lecture at the Faculty of Health Sciences in Cape Town gave me insight into the type of leader our country needs. Even though some of us would joke that growing up he wasn’t the brightest among us, there is no doubt of Lionel‘s intelligence and a justifiable claim to be an expert in many fields, whether clinical, management, or leadership. I believe too that there is a wisdom that lies in the experiences of ordinary people who everyday survive the onslaught on them. In their resistance to a system that dehumanises and marginalises them, there is insight to be gained about survival, solidarity, and how to relate differently with each other so that everyone makes it. I believe formal expertise is at its most useful when it can listen with respect to those experiences, allowing that organic wisdom to shape and inform their own understanding of things and how to respond in ways that affirm dignity and bring lasting change. To do this, I believe that leaders need to have honesty, integrity, and accountability to the people they lead and serve. Honesty is self evident – don’t steal, don’t misuse resources for your own benefit. Integrity has many definitions.
For me, it is simply that your word is bond, and regardless of how elevated your status becomes and how much power you may have, you stay true to the values of service the public office demands. In the midst of conflict and contestation, you are able to chart a course that isn’t a selling out of who you are or a capitulation to outside interests and agendas. And being accountable means that you are responsive to the needs of the people you lead, and to society more generally. You understand that if your actions do not advance the betterment of society and the pursuit of amore just and fairer world, you will be asked to face the consequences. And you won’t sweat and lie because you won’t try to avoid accountability. We must look closely for these characteristics in the people we vote for later this year. And we should not accept anything less in the people who would lead us. More importantly, we must find these characteristics in ourselves and nurture them. We might not do the professorial thing, and we might not lead university faculties or municipalities. But I know that the vast majority of us are honest, and we have integrity, and we can be accountable.
We must be conscious of these qualities in ourselves as we make decisions in life and have conversations our families, communities, and workspaces. What we say and do has an impact that can have a ripple effect on the world, so let us make sure it is honest, is said or done with integrity, and is something we can confidently be held accountable for.
Ashley Green-Thompson runs an organisation that supports social justice action.