OPINION: The virus doesn't move people, people move it

The coronavirus is uniquely efficient in infecting people, so if the disease spreads in our communities, containment will no longer be realistic, and we’ll all be worse off, writes Anna Mokgokong.

Also given credit are the leader’s public persuasion, crisis leadership, economic management, and moral authority. 

Never in the history of the world has there ever been a crisis simultaneously touching every corner of the world, a health crisis demanding massive demographic changes, greater differences in socio-economic well-being, and such alarming health and social challenges.  

To be specific, with the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, our Rainbow Nation’s true leadership is on display and the question is where do our leaders fall under these requirements for greatness in public persuasion, crisis leadership, economic management, and moral authority? 

Never before has there been such a call for the ability of our leaders and institutions to address a worldwide crisis of leadership such as the challenge caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. 

While political and business leaders lead their nations and corporations, healthcare leaders and scientists are being urged to work around the clock to find the cure or vaccine and for nations to learn from those who have flattened the curve of the virus. 

Famous scientist who co-discovered Ebola, Peter Piot, recently warned that no country has the resources to deal with this pandemic when it reaches peak levels. The only answer is to prevent its spread. 

Back in the 1980s, when I was a student of medicine, I was taught to keep calm and, above all, to do no harm. I was taught the core value of always acting selflessly and placing the interest of the patient first.

This is the Hippocratic Oath that doctors make, when they take on this major role of becoming providers of health to their communities. 

I am and I am sure everyone should commend our healthcare workers for their selfless and hard work to save lives.  Every day, these heroes and heroines place their lives in danger for the sake of humanity. 

The sad passing of Manu Dibango, the legendary Afro-Jazz musician from Cameroon as a result of coronavirus and confirmation that Prince Charles and other celebrities have tested positive, drives the message home that we have a serious challenge on our hands. 

Power of the human spirit 

The pandemic has also displayed the power of the human spirit. I was touched by the story of an elderly Italian priest who was on a ventilator.

When he saw a younger patient whom he believed had a higher survival chance, he gave up his ventilator and sacrificed his own life. There are many sad stories and tear-jerking acts of selflessness showcasing the power of the human spirit.  

As we ponder the impact of the pandemic and absorb the implications of the 21-day lockdown, for me being of service to others and acting in a humane way, is key.

The sign of true leadership is being willing to do the right thing even if it’s not popular.   

It is staying calm under immense pressure and navigating a crisis, making a plan, and steering the nation in the right direction amidst the fear, anxiety and uncertainty precipitated by the pandemic. 

In this modern age of social media such as Blogs, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and minute by minute dissemination of news, we often lose sight of true leadership.  

In a socio-economic crisis, our thoughts turn naturally to leadership. Our world has grown so complex, so interconnected, that we need leaders who can engineer consent and cooperation to make the necessary changes that will improve our communities, nation, and world.  

Effective and beneficial leaders in the 21st century must have an enhanced sense of social responsibility and citizenship.

They need to lead in a world where power is splintered and which offers challenges too burdensome for traditional forms of civic and political leadership to cope with. 

Our country badly needs leaders to address and improve community conditions such as, homelessness, inner-city decay, substandard education, racism, and diversity.  

We need citizen leadership.  A citizen leader is open to other people's ideas, optimistic about people’s ability to solve problems, knows how to draw people together around a cause and to draw the best from them.

As it stands, citizen leadership is solving community-wide problems, generally through unofficial means and by sharing leadership tasks and knowledge.  

The challenge for the government at this time of crisis is to ensure that the Covid-19 economic blow does not shatter lives throughout our country.

There is a real possibility that this could happen, but a simple act of courageous leadership could halt such a disaster.  

Covid-19 reminds us what a real crisis looks like, and how thousands - millions - of lives can be shaped forever by the vision, or lack of it.  

It is heart-warming that when there is an unpreventable public emergency such as the coronavirus pandemic, it appears our politicians have come to terms with the fact that politics doesn’t matter.  

We need to all row in the same direction, united together as demonstrated by leaders of all political parties' commitment to work together with President Cyril Ramaphosa and Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize’s efforts to lessen the blow of the virus. 

What a fantastic example of public service of putting differences aside to solve a crisis and save lives. This should be the model of discourse and partnership on combating the coronavirus pandemic for the foreseeable future. 

A good democratic leader tries to bring out the best in the people. On the other hand, democratic leadership is only as good as the quality of the citizens who support it and who shoulder their burden of civic responsibility. 

Our people's anxieties arise from their frustration with our democracy's inability to produce consistently good governance, to cut down corruption in office, to distribute fairly the fruits of economic growth, and to restore idealism and the spirit of service among public officials and corporate leaders. 

The coronavirus is uniquely efficient in infecting people, so if the disease spreads in our communities, containment will no longer be realistic, and we’ll all be worse off. 

Today leadership involves taking responsibility for delivering something over which we don't always have control.  

This can be the case in this Covid-19 era when to be successful we have to work across boundaries, influencing others and be influenced in return.  

One obvious place to find veterans in crisis leadership is the United States Military Academy at West Point.

Colonel Thomas Kolditz, Professor and Head of the Department of Behavioural Sciences and Leadership there, made it his mission to study what he calls In Extremis Leadership, a title of his book, subtitled: 

Here is part of the Army’s Warrior Ethos found in his book:   

I will always place the mission first; 

I will never accept defeat;  

I will never quit and.  

I will never leave a fallen comrade.  

Today's leadership as demonstrated by President Ramaphosa and other leaders across the world is about challenging the way things used to be done, confronting the rituals of the past, by helping people make sense of the meaning of change so they can recognise their own role in the defeat of Covid-19. 

Leadership is about having the highest expectations of others and the deepest faith that people are the key.  

Therefore, Covid-19 requires tremendous endurance to support others to become the best they can; to respond to the challenge of change without resistance but with resolution and determination.  

During these 21 days and beyond, let us heed the call made in a recent social media post which said: “The virus doesn’t move people, people move it. We stop moving, the virus stops moving, the virus dies - it is that simple!” 

Let us all be leaders in our own way and help fight the Covid-19 pandemic. 

- Dr Anna Mokgokong is chairperson of the Afrocentric Group, South Africa’s largest health administration and medical risk management solutions provider, which owns health companies such as Medscheme.