No sense of direction

Our country faces a plethora of problems standing in the way of building a united and prosperous nation.

More than ever before there is a dampened sense of self-confidence hanging over our nation at this point in time; and this is threatening the vision of our forebearers who laboured and died for us to attain our freedom. At local and regional levels many citizens feel let down by their own leaders. Nationally we are besieged with numerous political, social and economic evils, threatening our highly endorsed project of nation building.

These problems are compounded by the current cash crunch, which is to some extent also self-inflicted, with fear and uncertainty rife among our people.

Across the different communities one can sense the frustration and anger, which confirms that all is not well.

Those who are sitting pretty in leadership positions have become infused with entitlement and no longer respect the voices and the demands of our people. Communities are reeling every day from heinous crimes such as child rape, which has frighteningly shot up over the last few months.

Yet again, we don't see the authorities stepping in and playing a proactive role in addressing this terrible scourge inflicting our societies. The churches, civil society and traditional authorities have fallen silent and this is a serious cause for concern. Our country seriously lacks the necessary leadership to redirect our energies to better use.

With factional tensions still high in the ruling party Swapo ahead of its elective congress in November this year, there is little focus on our societies' struggles, with persistent poverty, unemployment and inequality lingering, unabated, and the order of the day.

Our leaders on the other hand are unable to instil much needed hope, because they are caught up in the congress campaign – the silly season euphoria.

We cannot expect our country to make any progress under these circumstances, because those entrusted with leadership roles are messing up big time. As a people we yearn for a leadership that considers and acts in the best interests of all our people. Our politics should not be about popularity, competence and delivery should reign supreme.