The destiny of a nation is shaped by its leaders

The social injustices witnessed today and through history are often direct results of a countries leadership and governance, all decisions taken by kings and queens, presidents and vices in the past are directly affecting our current reality, which is why selecting the right leaders is important and praying for them is just as important because whatever they decide will affect you and generations to come. In South Africa social injustices are slightly different from what was experienced in the past, today there may be no government officials forcefully removing people from their homes but there are thousands of black South Africans living in deteriorating informal settlements in outskirts, there may be no public laws restricting black people on where they can work and what type of work they can do but there are thousands of black people who are working 8 - 5, being underpaid, exploited and experiencing racism in the workplace, there may be no laws restricting black people's movement around the country but there are thousands of black South Africans being systematically restricted to do business and succeed in trade around the country simply because the economy is tightly controlled by the minority and gatekeepers are careful not to include certain people, certain classes and certain races.

The issues experienced now are more systematic, subtle, aiming to economically deprive black people and ensure that the economy is controlled by the minority. This is an unfortunate reality as South Africa should be past the stage of black and white given that we have been a democratic nation for 30 years now. We are known as a democratic nation yet we still have black and white churches whereby in a community church building white people go to church a certain time and after that time has passed black people also attend their service separately. We have not yet dealt with racism, prejudice, and stereotypes, we are as segregated as we were before (with a few exceptions) just not by law. Isaiah 3:12 says " moneylenders oppress my people and their creditors cheat them. My people, your leaders are misleading you so that you do not know which way to turn" this verse is relevant in our context as South Africans, our leaders are the ones responsible for the nations destiny as their leadership and governance determine our success as a country, so far we have had improvements here and there however when you take a closer look, we are chained in systems, for example, we are taught to go to school, university, postgraduate school and find work - that happens for a few yes, however, most black South Africans go through all the hoops only to get stuck on the last part - finding work. Sadly this reality is not the same for other races in the country. Most young black South Africans remain unemployed for months sometimes even years leading to frustration and desperation to a certain extent, once they find any kind of work employers usually don't shy away from taking advantage because they know they have nowhere to turn as they need experience to progress in their careers. Another route most black South Africans explore in the face of unemployment is self-employment, which is great until you realize the restrictions in trade and how difficult it is to sell in stores, to get funding or clients that are open-minded and willing enough to try anything but the brands they are used to. In essence, building a business is very difficult because the market is owned by white people and most South Africans believe that services or products offered by the minority are superior to what a black person can offer.

Additionally, attempts to partner with big businesses usually fail dismally they sometimes don't even tell you "no" but rather take you through this office and that office around and around only to find a dead end. In simple terms, there are gatekeepers in our economy and they are very strategic about who gets in business. Recently there has been a rise in black-owned logistics companies which were doing quite well, offering to deliver for businesses to meet the online shopping demand in cities, however large businesses owned by white people are now breaking/disturbing the market and offering their own logistic services to meet the same demand, and of course, this affects the small businesses that attempt to rise. We've also seen this in the agricultural sector where young black people get into farming and aren't supported in terms of selling and distribution instead people who are well established in that sector would disturb the market in order to ensure that white farmers remain dominant in the country.

We need leaders who will actively analyze existing laws and policies to thoroughly determine the impact these policies have had on South Africans, we need to understand how these policies are encouraging equity and justice in our society and if there is a gap we need leaders who will enforce new laws and policies that will cater to all South Africans not just the minority. By cater I mean policies that will allow all South Africans to experience true freedom, especially economic freedom, currently 80% of South Africa's economy is owned by the minority which means that other races only contribute to the economy by working for the minority, no true ownership is evident, especially amongst black South Africans. Therefore we need leaders who will not mislead us by having us end up in places where were are working for the minority and not owning anything, we need leaders who will effectively address effects of apartheid and make informed decisions as to how matters can be balanced and just so that we move away from the alarming statics of the minoring owning almost all the countries economy. Currently, we are not experiencing true freedom even though we are in a democratic nation, we need wise leaders who lead with wisdom and insight from God, we need leaders who will truly love our people.