Outsourcing our responsibilities is the road to nowhere

Minister in the Presidency Trevor Manuel hit the nail on the head when he warned South Africans against their tendency to outsource their responsibilities to the state.

He said the problem with us is that we abdicate our responsibilities but are quick to blame others when something goes wrong.

"We know what's happening; we just don't act on it," Manuel said at Stellenbosch University's Theological Day yesterday.

He said the danger was that we continue to search for leaders whom we expect to solve even our "backyard problems".

These are telling words of which all South Africans should take heed.

Take, for instance, the numerous problems we as parents have to contend with in the running of our schools. Instead of joining the schools' governing bodies we moan and phone talk-radio stations to complain.

We put all the blame on the minister of education instead of helping to find solutions to the problems.

When there are problems that need the attention of all of us, we stand on the sidelines and get involved only when we are directly affected.

As we prepare for the national elections over the next few months it is worth reflecting on Manuel's message.

Do we take ownership of what happens in our communities? Do we attend school meetings and take part in projects that could improve the quality of education?

At a political level, we have allowed parties to dictate the direction this country will take . We have allowed a few to dictate the country's policy direction - and our future. But outsourcing our responsibilities to the state will not take us anywhere.

We fully agree with Manuel that we should take ownership of our democracy, roll up our sleeves and get involved in making our dreams come true. The changes that we yearn for, which we articulate so well on radio stations and at dinner tables, will be realised only if we take charge of our own affairs.