By: Rethabile Tsephe

FOOD FOR THOUGHT.

According to the Philosopher Ly Tin Wheedle, “Chaos is found in abundance wherever order is being sought. It always defeats order because it is better organized”.

In the year 2014, right in the middle of my studies with the University of South Africa. I wrote an essay of “what leadership is”  as a result, I think it was during one of the holidays and I had come home. I  showed David  the draft  I had written. He supported the writing with a few modifications here and there but nonetheless I submitted the essay to the Thabo Mbeki African Leadership institute – UNISA. I think this is where my love for civic leadership started because  thereafter I found myself in what one would assume are activities that support leadership. For example, I joined the UNISA SRC and long story short. I was attending one of the meetings, I think the topic was “ improving student engagement and activities for UNISA students, plus there was going to be an election.

I sat there in the conference room while waiting for the meeting to start, then right into it. The floor was opened to questions and I asked a simple question really. How is everything that has been said translate into activities, how does it  look in practical terms? Long story short again, I just stopped attending the SRC meetings. One would assume, my behaviour was  immature but I think at some point, we really need to stop with the BULLSHIT.

 Effective leadership is celebrated by development and growth. A leaders primary objective is to see to it that he or she brings development and growth to those  he or she is leading. I don’t know, but I am of the opinion that the basic human rights are enough to have an objective to Lead but I also know that leadership isn’t black and white, it’s a mixture of different colors that come with their unique set of properties.

I have taken on a second qualification with UNISA, it’s a BA in Goverment, Administration and Development. Of late, I am struggling with one particular module Political Evolution of  the African  State. My  struggle is in staying objective through out the whole module. I think  I have always acknowledged the damage colonizing countries did to Africa and its effects  that can still be felt today. At the same time, I have also acknowledged the damage  Africans continue to inflict towards each other. Leadership for instance is getting destroyed each day because leaders don’t want to 1. Serve the people that put them in the  leadership position. The word serve can be explained differently  from one person to the next but in this context, serve means ( acting on what we agreed on).

The usual topic we have when we talk about leadership is again, the growth and development of those you are leading, some people just want to manage their basic needs, some want to steal ( short cuts) while some really don’t care. In almost every family or community, We find people with such characteristics attached to their names. 2. Lack of understanding of the needs of the people, and designing an effective way forward for everyone’s benefit. Now, this is an  an interesting story that will somehow support the Failure in leadership. At the start of the year, I submitted my name for the local Goverment elections, as fascinating as it felt, I have always been aware that leadership positions in Lesotho or anywhere actually come with a whole lot of crackers. Yes, I submitted my name, followed protocol. Then, started doing my research. The research was mainly in creating a practical sense of what it means to be a counsellor. The primary objectives and the task in hand. I went to the Local Goverment office, met with a really nice woman who was honest enough to tell me the TRUTH about the position. Traumatised as I was, I went back into the community, consulted with a few people I knew would advice me accordingly and one thing always stood out or let me say, I questioned a lot.

I learnt that, the expectations  community members have of the  Goverment are to some degree ridiculous, we have created a culture of dependency that we no longer know how to survive together. The Engagements I would get into with people were based on “What are you going to do for us?Now, I thought everyone knew the limitations of being a counsellor, well I assumed everyone knows, clearly I was wrong. I was shocked to learn that majority of people do not  realise the responsibility aswell as accountability he or she has towards Goverment to ensure there is  development and growth in their communities. (The dependency syndrome) . For a number of reasons especially school I decided to withdraw my name. I realised that it was going to be a waste of time and energy to make people realise that the  services they  demand for  to some degree require them to work as a community.

One of my mentors, Ntate Phafane called me to  his office one time and because I enjoy our meetings. I went in my  most excited mood ever. In the middle of our conversation, He narrated  the relationship he had with Morena Moshoeshoe I. It included Morena Moshoeshoe I  being against his choice of studying politics, If I am correct Morena Moshoeshoe I adviced him to study something that was relevant and he worked closely with him. The same sentiments were shared by my other mentor, he said “No, Thaby”. The funny thing though is that my family and some people really supported the idea. However, I think school and pondering on everyone’s thoughts made my decision quite easy.

Prior to this, I had attended gatherings where political leaders spoke and again being a Researcher, listening is a skill. In most of their speeches, it was  always “what I am going to do for you”, I  heard little of “this is the responsibility you as a community have to ensure you get what you want” I don’t know who to blame, leadership or community members? However, what stands out is a lot of us Assume we do not have anything to account for or take responsibility for because what, Goverment will  provide right!

The failure with leadership in my opinion is the “one man saves all ideology that leaders wear as a tool to lure in the likes. It really doesn’t make sense to just exist without having a sense of accountability and responsibility towards the state that caters for your basic needs, Safety and wellbeing. Sometimes, I think as  citizens or inhabitants of Lesotho or any state actually. It is critical for us to understand the role we play in the position of  the countries we are a part of. Often, we are too quick to point a finger, call names and act as victims because the people we elect are not doing their job. Often, we give off this negative energy because we just don’t want to learn where the lack comes from. A typical example could be normally, the leaders we elect move out of the communities they were voted in. I am of the opinion that it doesn’t make sense and that should be illegal. How then do you as a leader bring in improvements when you don’t experience the day to day life of the particular community?

According to the philosopher  Ly Tin Wheedle, “chaos is found in abundance wherever order is being sought, it always defeats order because it is better organized”. Failure in leadership often takes place because of failure of understanding clearly the responsibilities you have and the role you play to  account for your actions, behaviour and attitude towards those you are leading.

In December of 2022, I received a Certificate from the University of Georgia because I had completed a program for fulfilling the requirements of the Continuing Education Program in  in African Civic Engagement Academy. J. W. Fanning Institute for Leadership Development. Through out the program a lot of things stood out but I believe the fundamental elements were the importance of knowing what you want, the planning and designing, community engagement and activities, understanding the community you are serving ( their needs as a community) this is necessary for being an effective leader and it also allows you to be relevant and practical in the changes you bring.

Conclusion.

The failure in leadership solely lies in us the people that choose the leaders we want. Until we are intentional as citizens in the goals and objectives we want for our countries. Nothing is never going to change  instead we will go back and forth in the wheel of oblivion and insanity.

What do you think?