Will nothing move our leaders from their comfort zone?

17 February 2016 - 02:39 By The Times Editorial

As expected, President Jacob Zuma was savaged in parliament yesterday by the opposition parties, which are calling for his removal from office.Now is the time to accept that those we elected to lead our country have their priorities confused and believe in the primacy of maintaining their own opulent lifestyles.If the pain we are experiencing - at home, on the streets and with "no jobs" signs displayed at factories - is not at the top of their agenda, then we are forced to ask what would move them from their comfort zone to deal with the crises facing our nation?It is tedious to listen to senior MPs grandstanding and defending their privilege.Honourable members, unemployment and the dire state of the economy should occupy your minds, not slogans.This year will go down in our history as one in which our leaders failed to stand up.The challenges we face have been coming for months, if not years.We all knew the economy was ailing, but recently it moved to the intensive care unit.But what do our politicians do in our hour of need - they grandstand - offering little hope to the millions who are seeking opportunities for a better tomorrow.Zuma and his cabinet must carry the can for our troubles, but we should not be consumed by the noise and fail to listen to the voice of reason.Political discussion should be dominated by the economy, jobs, the economy and more jobs.Those who still believe in this country will offer direction and will avoid following those who blindly follow the party line.We should remember February 1990, when Nelson Mandela walked out of prison. We believed in a better tomorrow then.Mandela acted in defence of the voiceless and forged ahead to make us a better nation.Let us rise above Zuma and find common ground before it is too late...

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