AYANDA ALLIE | Grow up — it’s time we place South Africans, not greed, at the forefront of all decisions

Greed is one of the seven deadly sins. The insatiable desire to amass more and more, at the expense of others, seldom ends well.

Greek mythology tells the cautionary tale of Icarus, a young man who in his desire to ascend to higher heights, failed to heed a warning. Daedalus, the father, had designed and manufactured artificial wings for he and his son to pull off a daring escape from prison. He advised Icarus of the limitations of the invention, warning the youngster not to fly too close to the sun lest the rays melt the wax of his makeshift wings. Needless to say, like a premonition, his father’s words came to pass and Icarus, once sky-high, toppled to the ground.

Ancient scriptures also warn of the dangers of greed, as illustrated by a matter adjudicated by King Solomon. It is said the king presided over a matter involving two women, both in a neonatal state, in a dispute over ownership of a surviving infant after the death of another. In his Solomonic wisdom, the king proposed the surviving child be cut in half so the women could share ownership of the child. It was the objection by the biological mother that exposed the greedy impostor masquerading as the true parent.

Today the people of South Africa have witnessed in the deliberations of the negotiators for the government of national unity (GNU) and the Gauteng government of provincial unity (GPU) a modern case study of greed of biblical and mythological proportions.

We are witnessing how some political parties, buoyed by victory, are flying dangerously close to the sun, and thus face the threat of cascading to the abyss and placing government stability in jeopardy.

We also have a front-row seat to political parties who are happy to lick the wounds of their loss by ripping a suckling child from the breast of a rightful mother and bludgeoning the baby birthed in the seventh administration.

The scenarios are equally unbecoming. These two wrongs leave no right in sight.

Learn or perish: overplaying one’s hand threatens to leave one empty-handed.

While negotiators negotiate, legislators are unable to fully legislate.

On June 14 I received the privilege and honour of being sworn in as a member of the Gauteng provincial legislature. As such, my opinion about current affairs, while it does not ignore national goings on, is biased towards the provincial status quo.

Having undergone extensive orientation and exposure to highly skilled provincial support staff, I’ve been taught that committee work is integral to members fulfilling our constitutional mandate of holding the executive to account, formulating laws and ensuring public participation in the democratic processes of the republic.

I have also studiously learnt there are two types of committees that help members deliver on the aforementioned mandate, namely standing committees and portfolio committees.

While standing committees are more or less self-reliant as they mostly deal with the business of the house, portfolio committees mirror provincial departments and the executive thereof. While the business of some standing committees can proceed during the deadlock in political deliberations concerning the composition of the provincial executive, the work of portfolio committees remains in limbo.

Members of the Gauteng provincial legislature, who are eager to deliver on the delicate mandate handed to them by South Africans desperate for change, are thus figuratively hamstrung. The members are proverbially held hostage by negotiators, some of whom are negotiating in bad faith, the archetypal murderous mothers and overzealous sons.

Greed, selfish ambition, vein conceit and unbridled hunger for power threaten to starve South Africans of the fruits of its democracy.

Negotiators must understand concessions will have to be made, as that is the nature of the beast. To coalesce one must be willing to concede on matters that may not be to one’s liking, so long as the matters are not material and do not contravene the values embalmed in our constitution. This is what it means to be an adult, and I assume those engaged in negotiations exceed the age of 18 years. Grow up.

It’s time we place South Africans, not greed, at the forefront of all decisions. Negotiators, please curb your seemingly insatiable appetite for more power. We all need to roll up our sleeves, put our hands to the plough and serve, whether within or outside the GNU/GPU.

The executive needs to start working. We, who will hold them to account are standing by to play our part for the sake of 60-million South Africans in desperate need of service delivery and economic growth. Let’s get on with it.

Icarus, come down. Dear mother, hand over the child. On behalf of the republic, I beseech you, let’s begin the work of building a better South Africa for all who choose to call her home. 

Ayanda Allie is a member of the Gauteng provincial legislature. She is a communication specialist, community development practitioner and Bosa's communications director. She is a former spokesperson for the ministry of transport and a former radio and TV broadcaster. She is a musician and author. She is also the founder of Bukho Bami Youth Centre, an after school care project which provides academic assistance to teenagers in under-resourced communities. 

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