FORMER president Kgalema Motlanthe has again taken a swipe at corrupt leadership, saying it betrays the African dream of freedom for all.
Delivering the keynote address at the launch of Oxfam SA on Africa Day yesterday, Motlanthe said the continent required collective action to restore the vision of an African and global future that is truly inclusive and just in character.
“It is made urgent by the swelling cries of the multifold communities within our society, who through an amalgamation of tenacity, hope, frustration and anguish, repeatedly lay bare how their lived realities are coloured by oppression, indignity and inequality in our democratic era,” he said.
Coming closer to home, Motlanthe said we should all be driven by conscience and ethics to address issues that threaten our democracy.
He added that any meaningful constitutional democracy relied on a capable and thriving civil society that holds those in power accountable, and defends the Constitution and the rule of law.
Motlanthe praised Oxfam for documenting the harsh realities, saying such activism was crucial at a time when leaders were failing.
“The post-colonial experience has been tainted by morally compromised leadership, corruption, lack of ethics and therefore poor governance.
“Leaders who brought us out of autocracy continue to sink into the pitfalls of power and participate in the continued debasement of the oppressed.”
Motlanthe said many African states rejoiced at gaining freedom and looked forward to ubuntu marking the democratic era.
