Title: The spirit of leadership: Insights from business and faith
Author: Reuel J Khoza
ISBN: 9781776391769
Publisher: Penguin
A letter from 1999, with a message to the future, serves as the point of departure for the latest book by Reuel J Khoza. Khoza is well-known as a businessman and author of books on leadership. His letter to the future is tied in this publication to South Africa’s so-called “lost decade”: the years of state capture, the infamous Gupta brothers and the Zondo Commission. It would have been interesting to read Khoza’s interpretation of the GNU (the 2024 Government of National Unity), but the book was published before he could include anything on the subject. What emerges from this, are questions about the moral fibre of the country, particularly against the backdrop of Christianity, which is the dominant religion in the nation; it also raises age-old questions with which Christianity continues to grapple from a South African and African perspective.
Christianity and missionaries disrupted traditional religious systems in Africa and elsewhere. It is a complex legacy, which is often questioned, critiqued and frowned upon. While there are many examples of groups and individuals who by and large have successfully harmonised old and new ways of living, for others the legacy of Christianity continues to remain controversial.
This is a deeply religious book, but it is so much more than that. Khoza reflects on a wide range of topics, such as the Atlantic slave trade, missionaries in Africa, the 1976 Soweto riots, Steve Biko and the Black Consciousness Movement, the South African transition to democracy, and leaders such as King Moshoeshoe, Thabo Mbeki and Nelson Mandela. As such, the book can be described as a whirlwind exploration of South African history. Khoza compares the South Africa of 2024 with the Mfecane, a “societal breakdown” known for “crime syndicates, warlordism and corrupt officials” (192).
The central focus of the book remains firmly on the two issues of religion and leadership. As a member of the Church of the Nazarene, Khoza also reflects on the history of his church in relation to developments in South Africa. He is rather critical of his own church’s response to the apartheid regime (129). Despite his religiosity, Khoza comes across as a believer who is critical of fundamentalist beliefs: “I believe that dogma is the source of much pain, suffering, discrimination, injustice and warfare on this earth” (177).
Khoza is critical not only of dogma, but also of secularism (8). According to Khoza, the secular outlook strips the role of tradition, which includes religion, from its meaning. And yet, he acknowledges that faith is not a rational response, but one that can be explained along evolutionary lines. The conceptualisation of God in this book does not align with traditional Christian theology. According to Khoza, “God is neither Christian nor Muslim, neither Jew nor Gentile, neither Buddhist nor communist, [but rather] precedes and supersedes these conceptualisations” (245). If this were the universal interpretation of the concept of God, religious tensions between humans would have been far less common than what we have seen in the history of humankind. The author tries to link the loss of traditions to a decline in values throughout the text, but it is not always convincing.
The African National Congress (ANC), of which Khoza appears to be a lifelong member, is also thoroughly critiqued: “Many of the movement’s pronouncements are socialist in nature, but the actions of its leaders and followers are materialistic and self-serving” (216). The Freedom Charter is “constantly cited” but “not followed”.
While the book wonderfully succeeds in articulating some of the challenges of religion and Christianity, it is not so clear that these questions are properly resolved in the text. There is, for example, no definition of what is meant by a concept such as “Christianity”, which the author continuously tries to harmonise with the African philosophy of ubuntu.
Regarding his position on dogma, Khoza does not hold all of the traditional Christian doctrines to be the gospel. He rejects concepts such as heaven and hell (199), but seems to accept the eternal soul or spirit as a given. He often refers to the works of St Augustine (AD 354-430), which he describes as “profoundly visionary” (160), but he does not shy away from the insights of atheist thinkers such as Bertrand Russel, a philosopher who was very critical of religion.
The author, at times, makes some questionable statements, such as that Christianity “promotes ethical behaviour in business dealings” (200). Elsewhere, Khoza notes that the missionaries in Africa played a significant role in “breaking new ground for colonists” (210), but then contrasts this by stating that the idea of Christianity being used to promote imperialism is “short-sighted” (116). There is a long discussion of David Livingstone (1813-1873), whom Khoza holds to be the representation of “the paradox of mission work in Africa” (121).
South Africa has a proud history of religiously inspired activism. Albert Luthuli (1898-1967), Beyers Naudé (1915-2004) and Desmond Tutu (1931-2021) are just some of the many names that jump to mind. But there is also a dual history of tolerance on the one side and intolerance on the other. Inspired by their faith in God, leaders such as Imtiaz Sooliman (1962-) and others continue to contribute significantly to societal welfare. It is unfortunate that secularism is experienced in some circles as something of a threat to religious beliefs, traditions and belief in God. The challenge seems to be to negotiate a space for religion in the secular world. But then this would require religions to be tolerant of opposing views. The very nature of a religion such as Christianity is quite often the opposite. One needs only to turn to Scripture to notice the critical tone of authors such as St Paul towards apostates. This creates an environment of fear, where individuals decide not to explore alternative ways of thinking. In reinterpreting Christianity, religious fundamentalism should be discarded. In such an environment, it could even be argued that secularism would protect religious diversity.
From an atheist perspective, there are many uncomfortable truths that can be deducted from a book such as this, a book that comes across as apologetic towards the topic of religion. The Bible is sometimes described as an “elephant in the room” by those critical of religion. Religious beliefs are often conflicting and seem to be confusing even to adherents. Khoza himself touches on the issue of contradictions in the Bible, in particular the well-known chapter 13 of the book of Romans, which advises believers to accept political authorities. He references the work of theologian James Kallas, who viewed these passages as interpolations, added into the Bible in order to make Christianity more palatable for Roman authorities. Elsewhere in the Bible, the apostles warn believers to “obey God rather than men” (133-4). Again, the text does not really solve the tensions that arise from opposing interpretations of Scripture. It merely describes the problem properly. According to Khoza: “My personal quest is to resolve my identity as an African, as a Christian and as a businessman in an increasingly global environment” (54). It is a tall order, and perhaps the author has achieved his stated aim, but one cannot assume that all readers would agree, as many unresolved questions continue to linger.
It should not be forgotten that South Africa’s apartheid regime opened parliament with readings of Scripture and prayer, and yet apartheid is considered a sin by most believers and a crime against humanity. Intolerance towards the LGBTQI community continues, and religion plays no small part in this. While there is much to appreciate in The spirit of leadership, the book being a very engaging text, many of the problematic questions that are being grappled with are not properly resolved.
South Africa emerged from the 2024 elections with a new government, but it is not at all clear how exactly the seventh administration will resolve the challenges of unemployment and dehumanising poverty. While politicians and the business community have access to resources, inequality continues to grow, and religion appears to have greatly contributed to patterns of generational poverty by means of the missionaries and colonialism.
I would thus conclude that The spirit of leadership is a book that left me rather ambivalent. While it is certainly a worthy read, there is simply too much to unpack to be able to address all of these issues in a single volume.
See also:
Your ultimate personal finance guide by Johan Gouws: a review
Life lessons: How to fail and win by Alan Knott-Craig: a reader’s impression
Skatryk: leef ons wérklik beter? ’n Onderhoud met Johan Fourie
US-intreerede: Johan Fourie kyk deur familielens na ekonomiese welvaart
Postkoloniale leierskap? Die uitdagings vir ’n nuwe geslag teoloë
Die oorkoming van kontekstuele beperkinge deur leierskap aan toppresterende skole