Progressive Leader – Issue03
In this, the third edition of Progressive Leader, we celebrate our beloved icon, Nelson Mandela. We bring tribute to a man, larger than life, and do so because he exudes the progressive leadership that we need in this country of ours. A clear sense of direction, commanding respect with humility and fairness, are the attributes of a progressive leader; where it is not about self, but of those we lead and serve.
As the ANC Government drives home the message that the focus of our nation must be on service delivery, and that at the forefront of our effort we must place the citizens of our nation ahead of ourselves, we take our readers back to 1994 and the leadership of Nelson Mandela. We remind them of the 27 years that he served in prison, that he emerged to lead us to freedom and that he did so without once thinking of himself fi rst. His clear sense of direction, of binding the nation together through reconciliation and fairness, commanded not only the respect of our nation, but of the entire world. And he did so in humility.
Both in Government and in the private sector, where we strive for development and economic growth, we must follow the example set by President Mandela. There is no place for greed and selfish motives. It is about creating a society that is fair and just; where those better off can sleep soundly, because the poor are being uplifted and sharing in the prosperity.
The global fi nancial crisis has served to highlight the greed, where management scooped exorbitant amounts for themselves while the economic system was collapsing around them – and they didn’t care. We can also point to many such examples in our own country, where executives are scooping large fortunes for themselves whilst the suffering and deprivation of the poor continues. This even
holds true for many in the public and the private sector.
We commend President Zuma for the example he is setting, and like him we too remind our nation of Nelson Mandela’s leadership. Our message to our readers is that it is not only about praising Nelson Mandela and saying what a good job he has done – it is about living the example he set.
Enjoy Progressive Leader.
Renier Schoeman & Daryl Swanepoel
Co-Editors
