Last Thursday marked Human Rights Day, and I visited the Sharpeville Memorial, within the troubled Emfuleni Municipality. The state of Sharpeville is dire, with streets riddled with potholes. Ironically, the only well-paved streets were those President Cyril Ramaphosa's convoy used for his Human Rights Day ceremony.
At a street meeting near the memorial, a march led by the Pan-Africanist Congress and Ace Magashule caught my attention. Despite their historic role in Sharpeville's struggle, their alliance with Jacob Zuma signifies a troubling shift. Magashule, notorious for corruption, criticized Sharpeville's conditions—a stark hypocrisy.
As Cornel West once critiqued, this alliance mirrors misguided racial reasoning, emphasizing the need for ethical and principled leadership. RISE Mzansi aims to address these issues, advocating for new leadership models and a renewed national vision.
Download the complete media statement release above.