South Africans are frustrated.

The collapse of key infrastructure and basic municipal services, such as waste collection, is a symptom of a deeper crisis. Unemployment is at record levels, and many citizens are struggling to pay off debt.

There is a constant stream of new corruption scandals, and the political system is in a state of gridlock. Many of South Africa’s public institutions are failing to fulfil even their basic mandates.

Water is not reaching households. Roads are falling apart. Municipalities are struggling financially.

The Auditor-General’s reports on wasteful and irregular expenditure, poor governance, and a lack of accountability by individuals in positions of power have become so frequent that they no longer shock.

Instead, they confirm a growing sense of despair and a single, burning question: Where is the leadership?

The answer to this question is complex.

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There are many factors that can explain why leadership has failed in South Africa.

But one factor that frequently appears in research on leadership as well as in public life is the difference between leaders who serve and leaders who consume.

A society inevitably develops to be governed by two types of leaders.

• There are leaders who view their role as a responsibility rather than an opportunity.
• There are leaders who focus on improving the lives of their citizens, and others who focus only on how their position can benefit them.

Over a cup of coffee, Reverend Maans van Zyl delves into accountability
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As the author puts it, public office is viewed by the former as ‘stewardship’ and by the latter as ‘resource’, ‘status’, ‘privilege’, ‘influence’, ‘contracts’ and ‘wealth’.

These differences in leadership are not solely political but fundamentally moral. At the root of so many failed leaders is an age-old sin: greed. The corrupt leadership noted above suffers from a problem as old as humanity.

Their corruption stems from their greed. There is a big difference between working hard to achieve success and working hard to gain wealth.

Greed is an excessive, insatiable desire to amass more – money, power, influence, privilege, control.

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Their consumption replaces the leader’s feeding of the community. The leader is fed by the institutions of the leader’s organisation rather than protected by them. Instead of bringing opportunities to the masses, a corrupt leader will extract value from the masses.

This is not unique to South Africa. Power has, for centuries, corrupted leaders who have confused their public office with their private purse.

Lord Acton was correct to state, “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”

However, South Africa has unique circumstances that have created a brand of corruption worse than that experienced in most other countries.

Evidence of how public funds meant for the good of all South Africans are being diverted to enrich a few. The instability of municipalities, the wasteful and unauthorised expenditure, and corruption are all having a negative impact on communities countrywide.

The tragedy is not simply financial.

But to look only at the financial cost of the corruption is to miss the point.

Every rand that is corrupted is a service not delivered to the people who need it.

Every inflated tender is a road not fixed.

Every corrupt contract for a school, a clinic, a water project, or other infrastructure project does not get off the ground for the people who need it.

Corruption is not victimless – it hurts communities, families, businesses, and future generations.

This reality must prompt the citizen to ask one deeper question during every election: What kind of leader am I supporting?

Unfortunate is the state of modern politics when characteristics that are wrong to worship are instead given centre stage.

Modern voters are captivated by charismatic leaders who project confidence and the passionate words they use to garner support.

However, as much research on leadership already indicates, great leaders are characterised by far more important character qualities than by impressive personality traits. Integrity, accountability, competence, self-awareness, and a heart of service are what define a great leader, not a charming and confident exterior.

Their character will determine whether power is utilised for good or selfishly.

The consuming leader sees followers as assets that can be used for his/her consumption and, in the long run, exploited.

Followers are turned into voting blocs.

Municipal budgets are opportunities to make money

Public office is a lucrative career. Such leaders talk of service and live of extraction.

They promise development and get enriched in the process. They speak of the people and serve their own interests.
Institutions take on the character of their leaders over time.

An institution with leaders of an entitled nature will become an entitled organisation.

Dishonest leaders will undermine an organisation’s ability to maintain trust with stakeholders. Self-serving leaders will begin to water down an organisation’s accountability.

A consuming leader will exhaust an institution.

READ MORE Over a cup of coffee, Reverend Maans van Zyl observed that strong character also reshapes how leaders relate to power

These effects manifest as financial distress, failing infrastructure, suboptimal services, factionalism, and general governance instability experienced in many of South Africa’s municipalities.

Time and again, when a municipality fails, the failure is attributed to poor leadership, a lack of accountability, a shortage of requisite skills, and the usual mix of political interests being given preference over citizens’ interests.

Yet there is an alternative

As leadership theory evolves, servant leadership is becoming an increasingly important area of study.

Robert Greenleaf, who coined the term ‘servant leadership’ and is widely recognised as the father of modern leadership studies, stated that the true test of a leader is whether the people they lead are growing as a result of that leadership.

This means that instead of asking whether the leader is growing, the question is whether people are becoming healthier, wiser, freer, stronger, and more capable as a result of the leader.

This is a profound shift in how most leaders today operate.

Typically, a leader asks the question: “How many people serve me?” whereas the servant leader asks the question: “How many people am I serving?”

There are many studies that have defined servant leadership by listing key characteristics such and integrity, humility, listening, stewardship, accountability and authentication, empathy, building teams &and empowering individuals, and creating ethical organisations where people can grow.

These characteristics are not simply “soft” virtues; they are key practical elements of a successful leader.
Consider the contrast.

The difference becomes visible in outcomes. Communities flourish under one and deteriorate under the other.
Perhaps the most misunderstood aspect of servant leadership is that it is not weakness.

It does not eliminate accountability, standards, discipline, or authority. Rather, it redefines the purpose of authority.

Authority exists not to elevate the leader but to advance the mission and serve the people.

READ MORE Over a cup of coffee, Reverend Maans van Zyl asks what does real leadership cost?

Servant leadership remains accountable for results while recognising that leadership is fundamentally a stewardship entrusted by others.

This understanding carries important implications for voters.

Citizens should evaluate leaders not merely by promises but by evidence.

• How do they treat public resources?
• How do they respond to criticism?
• Do they welcome accountability?
• Do they live modestly or extravagantly?
• Do they enrich themselves while communities decline?
• Do institutions improve under their leadership?
• Do citizens benefit?

What fruit follows their leadership?

These questions matter because elections are not merely contests of ideology.

They are decisions about character.

A democracy ultimately gets more of what it rewards

If voters repeatedly reward entitlement, entitlement grows. If voters reward corruption, corruption expands.

If voters reward slogans over results, performance declines.

But if voters reward integrity, competence, accountability, humility, and service, leadership cultures begin to change. South Africa’s future depends not only on politicians but also on citizens willing to make wiser leadership choices.

The challenge before voters is therefore not simply political.

• It is moral. It is cultural.
• It is generational.
• Do we continue rewarding leaders who consume?
• Or do we seek leaders who serve?

The answer may determine far more than the outcome of the next election.

It may determine the future of our municipalities, our institutions, our economy, and our children. In the end, leadership is not revealed by what leaders say.

Leadership is revealed by what remains after they leave.

A consuming leader leaves empty institutions, exhausted resources, weakened trust, and dependent followers.

A servant leader leaves stronger communities, healthier institutions, empowered citizens, and a future worth inheriting.

The difference is character

And character cannot be purchased at a convenience store, acquired through political slogans, or manufactured during election campaigns.

• Character is formed over years.
• It is revealed under pressure.
• And ultimately, it determines whether leadership becomes a blessing—or a burden—to the people it claims to serve.

Faith reflection: The leadership model of Jesus Christ

For the Christian, servant leadership is more than a model or theory of leadership – it is a conviction grounded in a major reversal of understanding regarding power, embodied in the life of Jesus Christ.

He turned the established way of understanding of power on its head when he said to his 12 apostles, “Whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave — as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:26–28).

In a world where power seeks position and privilege, Jesus linked greatness with service.

He demonstrated this dramatically in John 13, when He washed the feet of His own disciples. He then instructed them to do the same for each other (John 13:12-17). In the kingdom of God, leadership is not about status; it’s about sacrifice.

In Philippians 2:3–4, the Apostle Paul paints a similar picture, exhorting the believer to do nothing out of selfish ambition but rather to condescend to consider others better than himself.

As is the case with leadership in general, such a Biblical portrait carries a particular challenge for both the leader and the voter.

The test for the leader, as well as for the voter, is not how powerful the leader may appear.

• The test is: does the leader serve or does he consume?
• The test is not: how well does the leader speak. The test is: does the community under the leader’s stewardship flourish?
• The test is not: does the leader accumulate privilege or favour at the expense of others?
• The test is: does the leader benefit others? Jesus taught us in Matthew 7:16–20 that a tree is recognised by its fruit.

Leadership is recognised by similar means.

The future of South Africa will perhaps depend less on perfect leaders and more on citizens learning to recognise between those who serve the people and those who only consume.

This column is the opinion of the writer and does not represent the views of Witbank News.

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