Renewal of political culture

DESCRIPTION OF PAINTING by Artist
Lwanda Mthengenya

THE NEED FOR GOOD GOVERNANCE

Adherence to good governance creates an environment where corruption struggles to flourish. Failure to adhere to the practices of good governance means stakeholders increasingly demand accountability. Mass action and strikes are organised in protest as citizens begin to lose faith in the ability or willingness of their elected officials. Political instability increases. Investment declines. The sale of shares by investors decreases the value and rating of companies. Their regulators can deny them licenses, a stock exchange listing, or the ability to sell products and services. Other organisations refuse to do business with them.  And donors or economic organisations grant fewer loans or aid to nations whose governance is murky. 

Personal interests, greed, and avarice continue to undermine the government's ability to allocate resources and deliver services effectively. As a result, poverty and deprivation have resulted in frustration, disillusionment, and unending protests. All of this shows that people's support for those in power has waned. As a result, there is insecurity. This is why I believe it is possible to argue that corruption poses a threat to national security when measured by socio-political stability, economic solidarity and strength, ecological balance, and internal peace, among other things.

In the painting, we see a young boy peeping over the South African flag and the Sun behind him. The sun gives life and symbolizes hope and also symbolizes the determination to live and the creative force of life. 

The South African flag in the painting is upside down, broken, or torn, and has a gap inside; this, for me, represents the current situation in our country, in which corruption and other socio-political issues are destroying the nation. At the bottom of the painting, we have citizens of South Africa protesting on their different issues that are not being met by the government, this is to depict where we really stand as the people of South Africa and how the government is not prioritizing us and our needs as the People. As the young boy in the painting, I'm trying to raise awareness among the youth and elderly that we need to break the cycle and start working together to figure out how we can push and strive forward as a country. We should stand and fight corruption.