In Hans Christian Andersen’s timeless fable, the emperor’s procession glitters with splendour only in imagination. His courtiers, sycophants and onlookers nod approvingly, unwilling to admit what is plainly visible: that the emperor is, in truth, unclothed. It takes the innocent honesty of a child to break the illusion.
South Africa, too, marches in such a parade. The robes shimmer with acronyms, commissions and summits; the crowd applauds resilience even as data exposes fragility. The parade’s rhythm endures through ceremonies of promise and policies without consequence, while the nation’s foundations strain under the quiet weight of unfulfilled governance.
Governance, at its simplest, is principled stewardship: transparency, meritocracy and accountability in action. Yet it has become the unseen tailor of our times, invoked, costed and praised but rarely enforced. The numbers speak…