Comfort Mathenjwa

I have served long enough in leadership to recognise a troubling pattern. Too many among South Africa’s elite - black and white - appear to believe the rules that govern the rest of us do not apply to them. As chairman of an SOE, I am regularly approached by business leaders asking me to intervene in operational or procurement matters. When I explain that my role is governance and oversight, not management, they say they understand. Yet the requests continue. This reveals a belief that exceptions exist for the connected few. It was therefore striking to see Business Leadership South Africa and BUSA, organisations that have been vocal against state capture and political interference in state-owned enterprises, actively advocate for political intervention to transfer transmission assets to the Transmission System Operator. These are the same bodies that insist on corporate governance and board independence. Where, then, is the role of the SOE board? What exactly do they believe in? Equally concerning are recent allegations involving former Democratic Alliance leader Tony Leon. Senior figures within his own party, including John Steenhuisen and Dion George, have raised issues that appear to involve conflicts of interest and undue influence. This from a voice that has long lectured on ethical standards and clean governance. Do these rules apply to everyone, or only when politically convenient? Selective morality is not morality at all. When those who position themselves as guardians of good governance apply different standards to themselves, public trust erodes. But South Africans are watching. We see the inconsistencies. We now know where people stand. The path forward requires courage. We must expose wrongdoing wherever it occurs without fear or favour. We must demand that those who preach accountability live it consistently. We must insist that rules bind the powerful as they bind ordinary citizens. And we must model the ethical society we want to build. South Africa does not lack good people. What we need is the collective will to insist that principle applies to all. Let us find that courage. Let us call out double standards and build a nation where no one is above the law. That is the South Africa worth fighting for. #ProudlySA