Leaders need to rise to challenges

AS the fledgling new year prepares to take flight, it seems the same old challenges face the people of this region, province and nation.

Road accidents and rhino poaching statistics show no signs of declining: if the past few weeks are anything to go by, they look set to increase.

Drugs remain a real threat to our youth, who are already facing temptations and distractions those of previous generations did not have to contend with – which means parents are ill-equipped to give the correct advice and discipline.

One thinks specifically of the dangers of social media and the difficulty of keeping watch over the content of what is being sent and received.

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to predict that the continued growth of social media is going to bring with it a corresponding escalation of problems, both behavioural and legal.

Education is yet another bleak area.

Matric cheating, orchestrated by teachers as much as pupils, is currently receiving plenty of attention and one assumes many innocent pupils are being penalised by the corruption of others.

Apart from this, the continued high matric failure rate and the laughable ‘pass’ level do not engender any confidence in the school system.

Neither does the high dropout rate between Grades 1 and 12.

The capacity of schools and tertiary institutions to accommodate the number of pupil and student applicants is an ongoing worry.

Now add to the mix the very real prospect of not just load shedding, but the wholesale collapse of the electricity supply system, coupled with predicted lower than average rainfall in a country that is already on the brink of serious drought.

Not the brightest of pictures as we face the year, but that is just half the story.

A steep drop in fuel prices will hopefully filter down to lower food costs, which is positive news indeed.

But the big plus is that this region and nation is blessed with people of energy, creativity, passion, faith and initiative; who see challenges and problems as opportunities.

Look out this year for those who come up with solutions and who contribute to making this a better place for all.

Amid all the problems, and in response to them, true leaders will shine through; even if it is but a small light at the end of a vast, dark tunnel.