What does the absence of truth do to a nation

Khanyisile Cotani

The truth has the power to do a lot for people, and, as South Africans, we know first hand that its absence has the ability to impact the lives of many negatively. As a result, we have seen how the promise of transparency falls through the cracks, and our brothers and sisters suffer.

Over the years, it has become evident that truth-seeking processes allow for the examination of past crimes to ensure that, in the future, these atrocities can be prevented. In South Africa, these processes are the likes of the Truth & Reconciliation Commission and, recently, the State Capture Commission.

Looking closely at the State Capture Commission(launched in 2018) we can see how issues like corruption and fraud, along with other public sector issues, were investigated. It is through this that I came to learn of the depth of corruption, and why truth matters in democracies. Lack of trust in the ruling government, the division created in the nation and chaos are just some things that we have seen when honesty disappears. As citizens, we have heard political analysts mention the divide in the ANC and how this could potentially be the unravelling of the liberation movement, and this was further supported by Ace Magashule’s actions. If history has taught us anything, it is that divided we fall and united we stand, and the same goes for our nation. The divide between the political party saw the supporters of Jacob Zuma tarnishing the image of the ANC as a whole which, in turn, resulted in mass chaos throughout the country.

The current state of South Africa has shown us that, in fact, the absence of truth can quickly result in chaos. With violence, looting and lawlessness in South Africa in the month of July 2021, we were reminded that there is much work to do. As a nation, the absence of truth has not only held us back, but has also shed light on the fact that there is much healing needed as a nation. With people taking various incidents happening as an opportunity to express their racist opinions, it makes it clear that we, as the youth, need to do better and be better, not only in the things we say but the actions we take. We need to start taking up space because with us lies hope for a better South Africa.

Following a two-term reign of former President Jacob Zuma, the result was a nation that no longer had trust in its ruling government. We have seen how, due to corruption, many have questioned the integrity of the ANC by the growing distrust in their competency of providing adequate service delivery. Among the youth, there is a clear overall distrust in all the political parties, and, unfortunately, this lack of trust is bound to compromise the willingness of citizens to actively participate in the advancement of the nation.