Motlanthe: Consider the possible historical significance of 2017
"Whether by our hands or thoughts, our reticence, South Africa is being shaped, and our future is at stake."
Those are the words with which former president Kgalema Motlanthe concluded the annual Helen Suzman Memorial Lecture in Sandton on Tuesday night.
The event, held at the Gordon Institute of Business Science, also marked 100 years since the birth of the late anti-apartheid activist and parliamentarian.
In a speech titled: 'Power & Privilege in Politically Uncertain Times' - Motlanthe called on South Africans to use their positions of privilege "from classrooms to boardrooms, parliament to political rallies" to change South Africa for the better.
He also highlighted the historical significance of 2017, calling it a possible watershed moment.
"Perhaps in future, and with the benefit of hindsight we will look back at this year and see it as a time when the tide turned in favour of a return to the central tenets of democracy and ethical leadership," explains Motlanthe, adding, "or instead, it could constitute a moment in which we were collectively overcome by the waters of corruption..."
Motlanthe also had harsh words for those currently in positions of power and how the state deals with criticism.
He says criticism of the abuse of power is often labelled as unpatriotic and made out as attacks on individuals or the state.
The remarks come amid various state institutions and officials threatening legal action against investigative journalist Jacques Pauw over allegations in his latest book, 'The President's Keepers'.
"Those who view critique this way seek to ban books, doggedly persue dissenters within their ranks and ultimately desire the silencing of critics," explains Motlanthe.
He warns this attitute towards criticism is "fundamentally undemocratic".
Motlanthe's focus on South Africans' collective responsibility stems from, what he believes, is a very real possibility that politics alone is unable to realise the South Africa envisioned in 1994.
He says the burden of delivering on the promises have proven to be too heavy to bare and leaders have failed to live up to the positions they hold.
"We are called to dare to re-imagine a different South African future in favour of an inclusive and universal dream for the future of our humanity," says Motlanthe.