LETTERS | South Africa needs leadership that can listen

South Africans are not short of leaders. We are short of trust.

From governance failures and corruption allegations to the rising cost of food and fuel, a deeper pattern is emerging. Institutions are not only being questioned; they are no longer being experienced as reliable by the people they are meant to serve.

This is not simply political. It is systemic.

When trust erodes, systems begin to compensate. Oversight hardens into control. Communication becomes performative rather than meaningful. Decision-making shifts from being responsive to reactive.

At the same time, economic pressure has moved from the margins into the centre of daily life. For many South Africans, rising costs are not abstract indicators; they are lived constraints. When pressure is sustained without clarity, consistency or visible accountability, frustration does not just grow; it fragments the relationship between people and the systems meant to support them.

People need to feel that they matter; that their lives are seen, their challenges understood, and their voices carry weight in the decisions that affect them

—  Michelle Ashen, Johannesburg

What is often described as a leadership crisis is, in truth, a crisis of connection. At its core is a simple but overlooked human reality: people need to feel that they matter; that their lives are seen, their challenges understood, and their voices carry weight in the decisions that affect them. When this breaks down, disengagement follows. And disengagement, left unaddressed, becomes distrust.

Leadership in this context requires the capacity to hold complexity without collapsing into control. It requires the discipline to build trust through consistent, visible alignment between what is said and what is done.

Rebuilding trust happens across three levels:

• within leaders themselves;
• in how they relate to others; and
• in how systems are designed to serve with transparency and accountability.

Until this is addressed, even well-intentioned reforms will struggle to land.

South Africa needs leadership that can listen, integrate and restore trust where it has been lost.

— Michelle Ashen, Johannesburg

Still a paper with soul

As a huge fan of Aspasia Karras’s columns, I need to tell you that “Give us our daily bread and deliver us from evil” (Lifestyle, March 15) is her best ever. It was deeply moving and struck a chord with its message.

It sometimes feels as though there are fewer and fewer good people of integrity in the world. Your headlines attest to that. However, in the same issue, you had pieces by your editor, Makhudu Sefara, by William Gumede, by Barney Mthombothi (whose columns I have been reading and endorsing for years) and by Mamphele Ramphele that confirmed the Sunday Times is still a newspaper with soul and that your writers are still fighting the good fight — despite the onslaught on the traditional media. Long live Sunday Times. Long live honest journalism.

— Cathy Thompson, Hartbeespoort

Thanks for the memories, Moh

Every great story has an ending. This week, Mohamed Salah announced this will be his final season at Liverpool. As a hardcore Salah supporter, this brought tears to my eyes.

I’ve watched him grow at Anfield, and there’s just something different about him. That feeling every time he gets the ball, like the whole stadium holds its breath … because you know something special might happen. Yes, his performance declined this season, but he still showed glimpses of his brilliance.

Salah gave us belief, pride and memories we’ll carry for life. When it comes to consistent attacking impact, Salah set a remarkable standard at Liverpool. With a combined total of 281 goals and assists, he now leads the all-time list for direct goal involvements at one club.

Jurgen Klopp once said it’s not how you come, it’s how you leave. Because in life, in sport and in leadership, everyone has an expiry. The question is not when it ends, but how you leave.

With 210-plus goals, 350-plus appearances, a cabinet full of trophies and countless memories, he stands alone at the top. Thank you, Mo Salah, for great memories!

— Wandile Mtana, Uitenhage

SABC story violated journalistic ethics

A free and independent media is essential to democracy and one of the hard-won gains of South Africa’s constitutional order. But press freedom is not a licence for recklessness, innuendo or the abandonment of ethical obligations. Accuracy, fairness, verification and balance remain the foundation of credible journalism.

That is why the story “Too hot to handle: ANC muscles SABC to axe ‘harsh’ show” (Sunday Times, March 22) is so troubling. It is an example of how a major publication can abandon journalistic discipline in favour of sensationalism, conjecture and a politically loaded narrative.

At the centre of the article is a serious accusation that the ANC and senior government leaders interfered in the editorial and programming decisions of the public broadcaster to punish a journalist for being “too harsh”. Such a claim strikes at the heart of constitutional democracy and editorial independence. It therefore required the highest standard of proof and rigorous verification.

The ANC was never given an opportunity to comment before publication. The Press Code is clear that the subject of critical reportage must be approached in advance. This is not optional. Publishing a front-page allegation of political interference while bypassing the primary accused party and relying on vague, unattributed claims is not investigative journalism.

The article’s narrative is further weakened by facts that contradict it. It suggests that Clement Manyathela’s January interview with Vincent Magwenya was the “final straw”. Yet SABC contractors, including the Face the Nation team, were formally notified in December 2025 that their contracts would end on March 31 2026. That timeline alone collapses the theory that a January interview triggered retaliation.

Even worse, the headline — “ANC muscles SABC to axe ‘harsh’ show” — states as fact what the article itself does not prove. Manyathela himself does not claim to have evidence of interference. He merely says he “wouldn’t be surprised” if pressure had been applied. A headline cannot assert what the story cannot substantiate.

The Sunday Times also leans heavily on anonymous sources, using phrases such as “is said to have”, “sources said” and “allegedly” without sufficient corroboration. At the same time, it appears to ignore available institutional explanations from the SABC:

• end-of-cycle contract notices;
• repeated programme pre-emptions;
• high production costs;
• underperformance in its time slot;
• missed targets; and
• a broader strategic programming review affecting other shows.

The SABC should always be scrutinised and transparent. But that does not absolve the media from its own ethical duties. This was not watchdog journalism. It was narrative engineering. South Africa needs a fearless press — but fearlessness is not carelessness, and independence is not immunity from ethics. A free press that abandons truth for speculation weakens the very democracy it claims to defend.

— Cornelius Monama, Pretoria

Education office fire must be probed

Education activist Hendrick Makaneta has expressed deep concern over the fire that engulfed the Botha Sigcau Building, which houses offices of the department of education.

For far too long, concerns around the safety and maintenance of public buildings have not been given the attention they deserve. The reality is that the people responsible for administering policies are themselves often placed in unsafe environments. This contradiction undermines the very foundation of a functional and effective system.

The safety of those who work within the education sector is a fundamental requirement for delivering quality education and restoring public trust in our institutions.

—  Hendrick Makaneta, education activist

In law, a failure to act where there is a duty to do so may amount to a wrongful omission. If it is found that there were known fire hazards and a failure to maintain essential fire prevention systems, then serious accountability must follow.

This incident must serve as a turning point. We call for an independent investigation into the cause of the fire, including a thorough assessment of whether all safety obligations were met by the responsible authorities.

The safety of those who work within the education sector is a fundamental requirement for delivering quality education and restoring public trust in our institutions.

— Hendrick Makaneta, education activist