Rhodes University vice-chancellor Dr Sizwe Mabizela today laid into South Africa’s top political elite‚ saying people “of questionable moral and ethical character” were running the country.

“The noble qualities and values of personal integrity‚ honesty‚ humility‚ compassion‚ respect for each other‚ fairness‚ forgiveness‚ empathy‚ selfless dedication and willingness to put others first‚ that were so beautifully exemplified by President Nelson Mandela‚ have given way to venality‚ a complete lack of integrity‚ moral decadence‚ profligacy‚ rampant corruption‚ deceit‚ and duplicity.”

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the 2015 Rhodes University graduation weekend‚ Mabizela said South Africa had lost its moral compass by voting in “people who have no sense of the difference between right and wrong‚ just and unjust‚ fair and unfair‚ ethical and unethical” to positions of significance‚ power and influence”.

“We have become a society in which obscene and unbridled opulence exists alongside debilitating poverty and deprivation; a society that relentlessly promotes a culture of untrammelled greed and conspicuous consumption above the public and common good; a culture that judges one’s worth by the amount of personal wealth amassed.”

He said South Africa had become a society where far too many people were mired in desperate daily routines of survival‚ while at the same time‚ crass materialism and vulgar and ostentatious displays of personal wealth had become fashion statements for the political elite.

Referring to the disarray in key government institutions like the criminal justice system - which has recently lost or suspended several top officials - Mabizela urged the 2015 Rhodes University graduates to go out and make a difference in a society characterised by incertitude‚ cynicism and despair.

“My appeal to you is that you become an active‚ engaged and concerned citizen who takes a special interest in and concern for those who are living in the social and economic margins of our society. We cannot fail them; we dare not fail them.”

Article by: David Macgregor

Article source: Time Live

Picture by: David Macgregor