What SA needs is leaders with the grit of a Maggie Thatcher

With a hectic work and social schedule since getting back to Johannesburg, scraping away time for a night at the movies is a challenge. Seems when we do want to visit the big screen, there never seems to be anything available at a convenient time. Thank heavens for Box Office. Like yesterday afternoon when our lazy Sunday afternoon became a special one. Courtesy of Meryl Streep's brilliant portrayal of Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady.

It's the kind of movie that stays long after the credits have ended. And got me pondering what the courageous grocer's daughter might have done during the past couple weeks had she, in her prime, been running South Africa?

Maggie had a rock solid belief in hard work bringing its own rewards; an obsession for fair play; and a determination to persevere despite populist pressure. She saw through the monopolistic excesses of trade unions. And most of all she had grit. Courage. Belief built of old fashioned common sense and a rejection of hypocritical political correctness. With the passage of time we forget how the trade unions held Britain to ransom with excessive pay increases that bore no relation to productivity. We forget, too, how Maggie faced them down despite enormous resistance from within her own ranks. And how different the Brits would be today if Dame Thatcher hadn't been around.

At this time of labour turbulence and an appalling lack of leadership, politicians in South Africa would do well to study her example. Perhaps they will realize that the easy, softer way of incessant talking and populist pandering to get re-elected are a disservice to the nation. That eventually this failure of authentic leadership will create an explosion that hindsight will blame on the disconnect between job creation and draconian labour laws; and wage increases which bear no relation to productivity.

Perhaps the politicos will awake. But I wouldn't hold my breath. Five days after the first murders at Marikana, with families grieving 10 people including two policemen and two security guards and striking unionists threatening from their camp on a koppie, SA's Minister of Mines prioritised a photo-op on the East Rand. Only two days and a hail of police bullets later did the politicians react. Dead strikers have been lionised, their funerals attended by cabinet ministers. Those murdered in the run-up to what media describes as the Marikana Massacre seem to have been forgotten. Yet it is they who were murdered. Not the armed, drugged-up strikers who charged the men in blue in the belief that their "muti" would protect them against police bullets. Who has considered the intentions of the spear-wielding, blade licking horde and asked what might have happened had they actually gotten to the cops?

So what are we to read from this? Perhaps that striking miners believe it's OK to carry weapons, and to use them to threaten and even kill bystanders or those who won't submit to their violence. That the laws of the country, its very constitution do not apply to them. And when they push too far, forcing a reaction, it is they, the "heroic workers" who are painted as victims. Little wonder the riots continue. And the bullets. And the funerals. Oh, how South Africa could do with the clear mind and the "balls" of a Maggie Thatcher.

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The blog about Maggie Thatcher evoked some interesting responses.

Here are two of the more interesting:

From Robert Smith in Sydney Australia:

Your article's heading is completely misleading. Its like asking what would helen suzman do. the point is neither thatcher not suzman would ever be president of yr country. the question should have been "what would another great african leader do under the current conditions" and that sir is the problem – what great african leader would we use – mandela – yes – anyone else – probably not what has been created is the "perfect vacuum" where the govt and esp the president are completely paralysed and who have made inaction and spin into an artform – while the proverbial clock (in the form of julius) ticks ever louder historically in africa this is where the army steps in – as per idi amin. this may be a better option than the slow grinding and very painful process while julius gets his troops together to storm the "bastille" in December

And David Niven writes:

Your article is a provocative one and by provocative I mean that it is quite stimulating.

The only woman I can think of who might just qualify to be placed on a pedestal with Mrs Thatcher are; Helen Suzman. Helen Zille.

I doubt that Mrs Suzman would have approved to be equated with Mrs Thatcher. I also doubt that Mrs Zille would (currently) approve. Neither Suzman nor Zille share (in my opinion) Mrs Thatcher's determined attitude and hard-nosed approach to the economic problems we face. But this is of course conjecture on my part because the situation of the U.K. after its winter(s) of discontent is not similar to the situation in Suzman's time and, for Zille I do not believe she has shown her cards yet as far as economic self-sufficiency and determination is concerned.

Certainly Zille is going to see just what happens when S.A. does indeed move through its winters of discontent but we are not fully there yet. When we do it is going to be bloody awful. I rather suspect that Zille could very well move to a Thatcherite position but she has to get rid of her enormous guilt feelings and the political albatross of being: a/ white b/ part of a tiny opposition that cannot rock the boat too much because it needs to get votes from

the current majority party. I mean her policy and promise of 8% growth rate is pie-in-the-sky- nonsense.
The current situation at Marikana and other mines tends to reinforce my view that whereas the ANC thinks it knows about democracy the population is busy showing it the two finger salute and suggesting that anarchy is more to their taste. Would Arthur Scargill have sent the coal miners to their death in front of goon squads of British police / army? I doubt it. The last time the British did anarchy a couple of platoons of dragoons settled their hash very quickly. It was at Peter's fields I think but unless I google it to be sure I think I might have the precise detail incorrect and to be honest I don't feel like googling it right now.

From reading your articles over the years I fear you will disagree with me; I suspect you think that people like Maria Ramos and a couple of other figures from the ANC cupboard might be suitable candidates. I disagree absolutely if that is indeed your standpoint. I do not think there is ONE candidate from the ranks of the A.N.C. that comes within a sea mile of having the political guts to stand up and stand out for a Damascene revelation of the ills that trouble this country— and let's be honest, Thatcher was / is a politician to her toenails— so you have created an entirely political discussion.

It is a complex subject and a complex situation; South Africans tend to be motivated by "bloed-gelooftes" whereas the British like their parliament to be more like a smorgasbord from which they can choose as their feelings dictate. Frankly, and in conclusion my personal feeling is that SA has long since had enough of "heroic" answers to our many problems. We cannot afford to be heroic.

All we need to do is educate our young girls and boys for heavens' sake—nothing heroic in that but look at the dysfunctionality of all State infrastructure pillars and it makes one want to weep with desperation and frustration. We need to cut the outlandish crap of feeling we are a nation in the top echelons of world competence. We are not and there is no need for us to be. To be on the leading edge of anything is a very expensive proposition indeed and entirely unnecessary in day-to-day life.
I would offer you the situation of the Dutch. They don't crow about having the "best Constitution" in the world They don't crow about the superlative research and development done by their universities. They don't go on and on about "transformation" and gender equality. They just get things done.

We don't need Margaret Thatcher. We need Figaro.

With regards