MAXHOBANDILE NDAMASE | We need leadership grounded in knowledge, skill, not slogans

As South Africa approaches the local government elections, political parties are preparing to nominate candidates for ward councillor roles essential for grassroots governance.

However, a concerning question hangs in the air: Why should individuals pursue political science if political position does not depend on it?

In a nation where qualifications are crucial in almost every field — doctors must learn medicine, educators need to study education, and even taxi drivers require a permit — politics continues to be the area where passion often trumps preparation.

Let’s be clear: democracy gives every citizen the right to stand for public office. These are not ceremonial figures. They are expert fields — interpreting and implementing Integrated Development Plans (IDPs), managing community expectations, participating in budgeting, and ensuring service delivery.

Yet many are deployed without any background in governance, policy, or constitutional law. Meanwhile, political science graduates who understand public systems, accountability mechanisms and participatory democracy sit jobless and disillusioned.

South Africa’s tertiary institutions are producing a generation of qualified political thinkers who are systematically overlooked in the very field they are trained to influence.

This is not an attack on democracy. But we must ask: should representation come without preparation? We cannot continue to confuse passion with proficiency or popularity with policy understanding.

The failure of basic services, deepening inequality, and community unrest show us that we need more than slogans and struggle credentials. We need leaders who understand the science of politics and who know how to turn theory into action.

The problem runs deeper than party politics. It is a cultural disconnect between knowledge and leadership. We confuse popularity with vision, activism with governance, and charisma with capability.

This is not to say that formal education is the only path to effective leadership; history offers many examples of great leaders who learnt on the job. But South Africa is at a crossroads.

The failure of basic services, deepening inequality, and community unrest show us that we need more than slogans and struggle credentials. We need leaders who understand the science of politics and who know how to turn theory into action.

It is time to reimagine how we select and support our public representatives. Political parties should prioritise training and merit. Municipalities should collaborate with universities to equip councillors with the basics of governance.

And we, the public, must raise our expectations. Until we bridge the gap between academic training and political deployment, we will continue to mismanage potential both in our communities and in our graduates.

Political science must matter not just in classrooms but also in council chambers and cabinet meetings. Otherwise, we are sending a dangerous message: that knowledge is optional in leadership.

As we approach the local government elections, political parties have a moral duty to do more than recycle familiar faces. They must seek out skilled individuals, including young political science and public administration graduates who bring both theory and critical thinking to the table.

Municipalities should demand a higher baseline of capacity for ward councillors, not necessarily a degree, but at the very least a grasp of governance fundamentals.

If not, we will continue with political science, poor public administration, very broken promises, and eroded public trust.

We often say that young people must lead. But what kind of leadership are we promoting? It must be a leadership grounded in knowledge, not slogans. Grounded in skill, not factional loyalty.

• Ndamase is a tutor in the faculty of economic and financial science at Walter Sisulu University