Taking a leaf from Boston's book

I left for New York last Tuesday to spend Rosh Hashanah with extended family in Boston.

The strain of travelling ultra-long distances hardly left me enough time to apply my mind to business matters, although it was impossible to escape the persistent plunge in the rand.

I hadn't visited Boston for four years, but the thought of an early morning run along the Charles River fringed by the autumn foliage changing colours was cheery compensation for the pain I was feeling in my back pocket.

Staying a little too far from the river, Linda and I headed instead for the Chestnut Hill Reservoir, a favourite jogging destination for Boston, Brookline and Newton locals.

Looping the historic landmark, I erroneously stopped an elderly man walking his dog, believing he was a long-lost friend from Johannesburg. Hal, my mistaken friend, was delighted by the interruption, explaining that he was a running pioneer who, back in the 1970s, trained twice a day with legendary Boston Marathon champ Bill Rodgers.

The fitness revolution we know today was attributed to Jim Fixx with the publication, in 1977, of his groundbreaking book The Complete Book of Running. Fixx, a former smoker and big eater, advocated the health benefits of a regular jog.

In the book, Fixx pinpointed the ultimate challenge of the new craze, tackling the Boston Marathon, at the time one of only a few globally acknowledged road races. It became a mission of those early converts to one day complete the Boston, a dream I fulfilled in 2009.

When Hal learned where Linda and I were from, he confessed that one of his serious regrets was that he never ran the Comrades. As we parted company, he asked what we thought would happen to Oscar Pistorius. Before we could offer a comment, he said: "I believe in your country if you have money and power you can get away with anything."

Running home along Boylston Street, a major thoroughfare into the city, disturbed by Hal's throwaway comment, my thoughts turned to the challenges facing South Africa.

Morning traffic in Boston was building, yet everything seemed so peaceful and orderly. There were no taxis weaving their way dangerously through the congestion, threatening the existence of anything that obstructed their path. Intersections were clear, while drivers politely waited for pedestrians to cross. The pavements were spotless, free of the litter that clutters our gutters back home.

Americans are immensely proud of what they have achieved and work hard to maintain their heritage. They might clash internally over issues like immigration, the cost of health care or tax levels, but they proudly display their flags and fiercely object to anyone who might imperil their future.

I wish we shared similar values in South Africa. For as long as I have been writing my column I have chronicled a nation battling to find its identity. Our people worship their Struggle heroes in song and poem and pay tribute to the nation's enlightened constitution. Yet our leaders demonstrate little care in return, remaining answerable to no one. They fail to protect their citizens' safety and provide them with adequate health care and education. They enrich themselves at taxpayers' expense with no conscience at all.

When they finally recognise that they are not more equal than everyone else and begin executing their duties with sufficient concern for our future we will begin playing catch-up and match the progress of other great countries. Only then will we be happy singing their praises.