#changethestory: Retribution poisons well of freedom | Cape Argus

This year was a traumatic year in which every imaginable political nightmare reared its ugly head.

It revealed a once-profound political architecture in crisis mode. We are yet to read the full narrative on state capture, but the first few chapters have revealed death, deceit and lies that plunged our globally-admired democracy into a quagmire of corruption. We saw the unacknowledged burial of SAA, Eskom rushed into ICU and Prasa in the emergency room.

All this emanated from a narrative that defied foundational democratic values. Leaders are to create a public square unencumbered by corrupt practices, free from the politics of hatred and avoiding addictions to money and power.

In every aspect they failed us. We now have a freedom that is based on what you can pay for and determined by who you hate. These deviations have poisoned the well of freedom. A democracy-deserving public are held to ransom by leaders who continually feed them a truth that they themselves do not practice.

They have lied to the people about prosperity and freedom, and have tainted the vision of a country that will never again taste the bitterness of oppression.