There are all kinds of names for it. Some call it a silver lining, others say it is "the green shoots" that former British Chancellor of the Exchequer Norman Lamont referred to in 1991, while others know what it is when they see it but haven't assigned a specific name to it. Whatever it is, we need it. We need a huge dose of it and we need it soon. We need it soon because the news cycle in South Africa has never been worse. Our recent times evoke the title of Nobel Prize laureate JM Coetzee's 2007 novel, Diary of A Bad Year.Eskom's blackouts have returned with a vengeance. Xenophobia came visiting. President Jacob Zuma and his cabinet allowed a man who had a hand in the killing of 300000 black Africans to escape despite the courts saying they should stop him. The economy is growing at a mere 1.5% while unemployment is soaring.Parliament is full of sound and fury. ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe is making terribly worrying noises about the judiciary because he didn't like some of their judgments. And Zuma told Pretoria students last week: "Do not use violence to express yourselves, or I might be forced to relook at the apartheid laws that used violence to suppress people."These are not statements to inspire confidence.So the question, again, is what are people looking for? What do South Africans want that would show them that their country is not the basket case that many frequently say it might become?I think South Africa is desperate for a sign. When Paul Mashatile, the ANC Gauteng chairman, told the Daily Maverick's The Gathering two weeks ago that Police Minister Nathi Nhleko's Nkandla report had not been discussed by the ANC, it was a sign.It was a sign because he was saying that perhaps the ANC still has the moral and ethical compass to confront this disgraceful matter and reach a better solution. After years of denial, perhaps a courageous voice would one day come up and speak up against Nkandla.So, what are the green shoots the country wants? First, the country would like to see an indication that not everyone in our cabinet and in the leadership of the ANC is beholden to Zuma. They would like a few voices inside the party to begin to say clearly that their party is hurting and it is hurting because of one man: Zuma.They do not even have to say this explicitly. Why don't Mantashe or Cyril Ramaphosa raise their hands to say they would accept nomination for president of the ANC in 2017? Why doesn't Zweli Mkhize do the same? That in itself is a sign that democracy within the party exists, that we can have a successor to Zuma who is not anointed by and beholden to him.Imagine if Ramaphosa had the courage to say such a thing! The country would resound with joyful noises from Beitbridge to Khayelitsha. The markets would welcome the move. Remember after Ramaphosa was elected deputy president of the ANC, ratings agency Fitch Ratings issued a statement saying his elevation and "the endorsement of the National Development Plan, offer some hope of more effective leadership and a greater focus on structural reforms".We need a sign that the economy, which grew respectably in the period from 1994 to 2009, will begin pumping again. We need to see our leaders committing to the development plan with vigour instead of their usual, wishy-washy manner. We need to know that Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene is in charge and every wing of government will listen to him.There are some good signs at the moment, but they are weak. The opposition is vocal and growing, which is a good thing. Some institutions, such as the judiciary, are still strong - although they are under attack. People such as Thuli Madonsela, the public protector, are a marvel even though there are just too few. We need to see more like her.People tend to think that the change we need in SA will take time. I don't believe so. Despite the havoc caused by the Zuma administration over the past six years, some of the key fundamentals are still in place. What is needed is to restore confidence to the institutions and accelerate the policies that can return us to where we were in 2008 - a country in which the constitution reigned supreme.That needs leadership. The challenge, therefore, lies in some of the ANC's leaders standing up and indicating that they are ready to take up the tasks outlined above.If they don't then someone should remind them that others - Mmusi Maimane, Julius Malema, perhaps Zwelinzima Vavi - are coming. They are giving us all the positive signs the country needs. Soon people will begin to look to these individuals for leadership and not the ANC...