The country's public servants are stifled by fear amid uncertainty at SOEs, writes Muzi Kuzwayo
The ancient Greek scholar, Archimedes, found his in a public bath in the city of Syracuse, Sicily. Syracuse was a colony of Greece much as South Africa was once a colony of Great Britain.At the same time there were bandits who were trying to capture the state and harassing the people. He waged war on them and won. The people were so grateful to him that they made him king.
One day the goldsmith who made his crown was accused of fraud and corruption by Hiero for stealing parts of the gold and replacing it with silver. Recently a friend of mine ran a workshop with staff members of a state-owned enterprise. It was tense and he felt like he was trying to hold a conversation with trees.Eventually someone stood up and said: “Look, I have just told my wife that she will have to take care of me in case I get fired because I am going to tell the truth. Everyone in this room is afraid of speaking. People have been suspended pending investigations.
That is when my friend had his own “aha moment”. Public servants are afraid and when people are afraid they cannot do their work.
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