Buchan and Tutu are Madiba's birthday presents

While the Sunday Times was reporting that the ANC were losing voters left, right and centre, Rapport was recording the incredible events that took place at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday. Angus Buchan, a farmer of Scottish descent who preaches hope and decency through prayer and traditional family values, had drawn a crowd of 70 000 to hear him speak.

On a Saturday afternoon, with every conceivable distraction in the world, South Africans and people from around the world chose to listen to a voice of reason and hope.

Buchan, instead of telling people to kill or die for a cause, asked that they forgive each other, adopt a more moralistic approach to family and observe religion. He spoke of the ability to change a nation for the better. For this, people crammed into a sports stadium and broke attendance records.

Regardless of whether you’re religious or not, from his religion or another, the critical point is that South Africans want leaders who want better things for themselves and for the country. Nobody wants to live or die for revolutions which don’t exist except in the minds of those bent on currying favour or sending out threats.

Nelson Mandela has just celebrated his 90th birthday along with the entire planet. Here is a man who taught the world how to rise above revenge and self indulgence in order to try and build a nation. He carried the whole of South Africa, Africa and planet earth with him. Where everyone had predicted a bloodbath he saw only a rainbow nation. Where others saw why it couldn’t work, he showed why it can.

In Zimbabwe, we have seen how Robert Mugabe has used every trick in the book to force people to support him.

He offers nothing but blood, sweat and toil from others so that the elite can party. He carries nobody with him, save those who benefit directly from brutally enforcing his hated regime. Remove the benefits and they’ll hang him faster than anyone else. Is this the way our leaders see their future?

In South Africa, we are watching the ANC fighting with itself over positions within the party — as if being elected is all that matters. The slightly vexing problem of failing to deliver gets lost in the furore about who gets what. That, ladies and gentlemen, has a proven record of disaster.

Seventy thousand people turn up to watch one man speaking the same language as Madiba — hope, reconciliation and the promise of a better future. Mugabe, with all his war talk, had to force people to get on to buses to attend his rally or bother to vote. People want to hear something positive, not negativity and threats.

The time has come for the president of the ANC to tell South Africa’s president that we are tired of the games in Zimbabwe. That millions of our poorest people will stand a far better chance if relieved of the exiles. That these exiles need a stable home to return to — without despots and murderers. That both countries’ poor and the region will benefit enormously from doing what is right.

And then, in the interest of the party, the country and the citizens whose fate lies in your hands, go on television together and start sending out the message of unity and hope that this country is crying out for. Rise above your differences and call for all ANC members to respect each other, their countrymen and the leaders of the party.

In your absence, Archbishop Desmond Tutu continues to drive home the messages of decency and hope that this country and this continent needs right now. Messages, like those of Buchan, which require people to do the right thing. Buchan and Tutu are better presents for Madiba’s birthday than all the rest.

Even if it arises from self-interest and self-preservation, bury the war talk, the divisions and the negativity and focus on sending out messages of a better future for all South Africans.

You’ll be amazed at what you can achieve.