Not for God to fix your mess, Mr Zuma

I remember my first request for divine intervention. I was three or four years old and like any toddler, especially as one of the male variety, I was a little too rambunctious at Bible study one night.

My mother darted that look at me and I knew that I would suffer the discomfort of a fiery posterior by bedtime spare the rod, spoil the child, was the order of the day then.

As we reached home, I fell to my knees, clasped my palms together and implored God to spare me from a thrashing. Divine intervention had the desired effect, the rod was spared that night.

The intervention may have occurred because I simply melted my mother’s heart only a heartless fiend would administer punishment of a corporal nature on a praying toddler or perhaps the intervention was indeed divine.

Nonetheless, my entreaty came as a result of helplessness and hopelessness. I had already apologised, I had already promised to never misbehave again, but none of these attempts at appeasement satisfied my mother, so I asked for God’s intervention as I had my back to the wall.

Request for divine intervention is not only unique to toddlers who find themselves falling foul of their parents, but much rather a testament to something innately human: we ask for God’s intervention when we see no way out.

This condition, it seems, does not only affect you and I as average people with jobs and bills to pay, it seems to affect those at the pinnacle of power, most notably the president of the Republic, Jacob Zuma.

On Spring Day, City Press ran a report which quoted the president as saying: I know they say Jesus will return to fetch us. But I don’t know how many will stay behind. Maybe the majority – but this time not to fetch us, but just to come and cleanse us of our sins, because we have caused more damage than before.

Some might say, About time! at Mr Zuma’s religious insights. I say:  What a cop-out!

Many have called for a return to Godliness, where religion takes a more prominent position and informs us in our day-to-day dealings. Some have argued that the increased secularisation of society has led to increased social ills, corruption and a lack for human regard when providing basic services.

I believe that South Africa, as a secular state, fosters a very fertile environment where one can personally practise and have a rich religious life, but that is a debate for another time. The point that stands out for me, the elephant in the room which the president failed to acknowledge, is the fact that the damage that has been caused, has been caused by those in power people like him.

Leaders in business, politics and society are placed in positions of power to lead society in a way that is beneficial. So whether it be the economy, safety and security, a society free of corruption and scandal, or a sustainable environment, we expect them to lead by example and foster conditions that ensure that society is the greatest beneficiary.

It is clear that leadership and many would argue the president himself has fallen far short of our expectations in terms of giving solid, credible direction. They, in essence, created the mess and thus they are the best-placed people to fix the mess.

The president’s call for God to intervene, in my opinion, is not a sign of religious devotion or belief, but much rather a sign of unwillingness to fix what you have done in perpetuating wrongs plaguing the world and implying that it is God’s responsibility to fix your blunders.

Simply put, it is poor leadership, a lack of accountability for fixing what is in your power to fix a sad state of affairs indeed.