South Africa is clearly unwell, and it is our duty as her citizens to demand treatment before it’s too late.
As of April 2025, the new South Africa is officially 31 years old. She is the answer to our forebearers’ prayers, the jewel in Africa’s crown and home to the genesis of humanity. However, it would be nearly impossible to expect her to be fine when her daughters are dying on the regular, the multicultural colours of her rainbow are dull and her leaders decide to pimp her out.
In a perfect world, we as citizens elect leaders we believe are best suited to take care of our country’s health and wellbeing – and in turn our own. Unfortunately, we do not live in a perfect world, and we are impacted by bad decisions made behind closed doors. Decisions that often compound the symptoms of our 31-year-old’s health. Nursing our patient cannot be left to those with access to power alone, we need to be active caretakers too.
Here’s how to tell when your country is under the weather:
1. She develops authoritarianism fever
In mid June 2025, the Hawks raided South African comedian and Tiktoker Anton Taylor’s home with the signoff of judge C.A Erasmus and the instruction of suspended police minister Senzo Mchunu. This raid was a result of a satirical video Taylor posted in March 2025. Taylor pretended to be a Czech criminal in cahoots with Minister Senzo Mchunu and the police department as a means to continue with his various criminal dealings with no legal repercussions. Taylor’s case was eventually dismissed, however this is a prime example of authoritarianism. The right to freedom of expression is guaranteed under Section 16 of the Constitution. This incident is an alarming symptom because it reflects a government ministers willingness to infringe of the rights of South African citizens because his feelings were hurt by a satirical video.
2. She is covered in blood daily
Gender-based violence is a major issue in the country. Africa Check’s most recent report details that of the 6953 murders between October to December 2024, 961 of these were women which equates to 10 to 11 South African women being killed per day. These statistics are not inclusive of the many South African women who are being physically and sexually assaulted at the hands of men daily. Our nation’s soil cannot absorb the blood of innocent women every day and be expected to produce an abundance of anything good. The most recent South African Police Service Report indicates that from 2023 to 2024, 42 569 cases of rape were reported in South Africa which equates to over 116 incidents of rape daily. If the blood she is covered in is not convincing, then listen to the cries of her children.
3. Her vitality has significantly decreased
When she was 11 in 2005, the rand to dollar exchange rate was approximately R6,35 to the dollar. During that time, she had an unemployment rate of 26,5%. Ten years later at 21 in 2015, the rand sat at approximately R12,73 to the dollar. She recorded unemployment rates of 24.5% by the end of the fourth quarter that year. Now at 31, the rand to the dollar exchange rate sits at R 17,87 to the dollar, with an unemployment rate of 33.2% by the second quarter of 2025. The progression of all these figures demonstrate that South Africa is not a strong as she used to be. She is unable to interact with her peers in ways she previously could. She is further weakened by our government officials and entrepreneurs who use her resources to build personal compounds in Nkandla, procure palatial mansions in Constantia and build R12million homes in Waterfall. She is at the mercy of pimps who travel in blue light convoys and routinely sell her to the highest bidder for their gain.
4. She’s a shell of her former self
She does not look or behave like a country that has gold, diamonds, chromium, coal, iron ore, rodium, platinum, palladium and manganese. She does not shine like the stars she’s produced globally in sports, art, fashion and academia. She’s lost her shine and her leaders have no answers for her children.
Through rising unemployment, gender-based violence and poverty statistic we’ve become desensitised to the reality of our situation. In the words of Sir Francis Bacon, “knowledge is power”. Now that you’ve been alerted to the signs of an unhealthy nation, it’s time we act and plan ways to bring her back to vitality like our lives depend on it, because they do.
FEATURED IMAGE: Sechaba Molete, 2025 Wits Vuvuzela Journalist. Photo: File/Paul Botes
- Wits Vuvuzela, The South African government continues to fail whistleblowers, Aug 2025
- Wits Vuvuzela, INFOGRAPHIC: Uptick in unemployment rate, May 2024
- Wits Vuvuzela, Is South Africa imploding or is the web of corruption finally unravelling, Aug 2024
