From a Fragmented Past to a United Future: A Call for a South African Identity

In a recent reflection, inspired by reading Dawie Roodt’s insights on fear and the future of our nation, I found myself dwelling on the phrase "a tribe of 60 million." It struck a chord with me: we are a nation rich in diversity of race, religion, language, and tribe, yet often we lack a unified national identity that can hold us together beyond these differences.

We live, many of us, in a climate of fear, fear for our safety, fear for our economic stability, fear for the future. And as I pondered the writings of thinkers like Jordan Peterson and Jonathan Pegeau on identity, I realised that what we truly lack is a collective sense of who we are as South Africans. Not just as individuals with layered identities shaped by family, upbringing, and community, but as a nation with a shared vision and values.

As an economist, I’ve been exploring how Western economics and biblical economics align and diverge. In the biblical tradition, there is a clear mandate: care for the widow and the orphan, and leave the edges of the fields for the poor. This ancient wisdom teaches us that a society’s strength lies in how it treats its most vulnerable. In our country, many families have orphans as breadwinners or elderly relatives supporting multiple generations. We have forgotten, in many ways, how to ensure that no one is left behind.

I was reminded of the 1995 Rugby World Cup, a moment in history when, for a brief and beautiful time, South Africans stood united, transcending class, colour, religion, and language. It was a glimpse of what could be—a collective spirit that we have not yet fully recaptured.

Today, we find ourselves in a different struggle. We are gripped by the actions of a few, the corrupt, the criminal, the fear mongers, while the many retreat behind walls, hoping someone else will fix it.

We cannot wait for a few to lead when the power lies with all 60 million of us. But we also cannot move forward if we are only looking backward, learn from the past but moving forward and looking backwards inevitably leads to stumbling.  If we come together, if we look forward and decide that no one in our national "tribe" should be left behind, we can build a safer, more hopeful future.

In the end, the responsibility is ours. We must stop waiting for someone else to define our identity or solve our problems. Let us build a South Africa where every child has the opportunity for education, every person can feel safe, and every dream can be pursued. The future is in our hands if we stand together