Every great nation, without exception, has been built on three foundation stones: Education, Enterprise and Ethics. And every nation that has fallen, without exception, has fallen because they failed in one or more of these three areas.

“Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world”– Nelson Mandela.

The most certain strategy for transforming South Africa into a prosperous nation for all, is to prioritise the education of every citizen. It would take the kind of commitment to education that will spend every spare billion on providing quality education for all South Africans from pre-primary to tertiary level. To radically alter the future trajectory of South Africa we need an education system that focuses on excellence in maths, science and literacy for all; a system that commits to building world class institutions to train teachers, artisans, technicians, engineers, scientists and all the trades and professions so vital for building a nation. An education system which provides all citizens with the opportunity to gain the knowledge and skills which will enable them to realise their full potential.

The most certain strategy for transforming South Africa into a prosperous nation for all, is to prioritise the education of every citizen.

To get this right we need leaders who will unreservedly call on whatever resources are necessary to ensure that every South African is literate and educated, and that we as a nation produce high quality professionals in all spheres. It doesn’t matter if we have to import teachers and professors from all corners of the globe, or call them out of retirement; we need to do whatever it takes to create and sustain a world class education system. And we have the resources to make it happen.

BUILDING TOGETHER

Yet even education won’t build a great nation if not matched with productivity. We need to build a national culture of producing more than we consume; the kind of culture in which all citizens are encouraged and enabled to give more than they take. And this must be modelled from the top by every leader and public servant. Like Japan, which built one of the world’s greatest economies out of the ruins of the Second World War, we need to focus on building a society in which we enable every person to live a productive life. By adopting JF Kennedy’s famous rallying cry “ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country” and creating an environment in which everyone is given the opportunity to use their time, talents and skills productively we would unlock the potential of the nation.

Wealth is not sitting dormant in a pot waiting to be handed out, it has to be unlocked through hard and smart work by all and for all. Social grants are important and necessary to enable those with very little to survive, but hand-outs without an exchange of value are ultimately more destructive than empowering. They erode the self esteem of the recipient and denude the finite resources of the giver. Grants in return for learning or some kind of nation building activity would grow the self-esteem and skills of the recipient and build the resource base of the country. Receiving something for nothing creates a sense of unworthiness and entitlement which is destructive for both individual and country.

CORE VALUES

Finally, we need a nation built on a moral and ethical code that will not tolerate corruption, prejudice or abuse of any kind. Ethics that uphold our world class constitution and model integrity, accountability and service at every level of government. Ethics that are modelled by every politician and public servant and that disqualify anyone from public service who has even the taint of theft, corruption or violence in their past without proven rehabilitation. Ethics that create an open society where we live out the principles of our constitution. This kind of value system upheld by an educated, hard-working populace would propel South Africa to a place amongst the great nations in history.

A HARSH REALITY

As a nation we have failed in every one of these three fundamental areas. Our levels of literacy and numeracy rank amongst the lowest in the world and the quality of schooling in poor areas remains shockingly inadequate. We have created a nation of dependents which is both demeaning and unsustainable.We have made South Africa increasingly difficult to do business in and caused the rand to fall to record lows. In over 20 years of democracy the gap between the rich and the poor has grown and is now the worst in the world. Our political leaders are steeped in corruption, and the integrity of our state institutions is rapidly and not so silently being eroded.

The three E’s of Education, Enterprise and Ethics will turn South Africa into a thriving, peaceful and prosperous country.

IT’S NOT TOO LATE

Yet even now a no-compromise commitment to the three E’s of Education, Enterprise and Ethics will turn South Africa into a thriving, peaceful and prosperous country. It’s not ANC, DA or EFF that will steer South Africa back on to the path of greatness, it’s EEE. And the reality is that it is absolutely achievable. We have all the resources we need. What it will take however is good leadership and strong political will, which in South Africa right now seems a big ask. But it shouldn’t be; we have men and women with the intellect and the character to make it happen. What we need to do is elect them into power and what they need to do is have the courage of their convictions to use our resources well.