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AS POLITICAL JOURNALIST and writer, I am often questioned on topical issues by the general South African public from all races, classes and language groups on key tendencies facing the country – be they political, economic or social – which some ordinary South Africans experience as dynamic, and others as worrying.

Each chapter in this book deals with one of the seventeen questions I am asked most often, and the content of each chapter then proceeds to present my best efforts at providing my version of an answer. Some of these questions were fun and easy to deal with, some I struggled with and some, I have to admit, I would rather have cast aside and not attempted to answer. But that was not an option – I had to try. After all, no one said it was going to be plain sailing.

Nobody who attempts thoughtful analysis will claim that they have all the answers, and anyone who listens carefully to fellow South Africans around us will know many are deeply worried about the direction of some events in the country.

What one needs to guard against at such times of pessimism is negativity. It can paralyse you, compromising your agility and your ability to seize and realise opportunities. We must at all times remain open-minded and not become mere herd animals, mere followers. The ability of the individual to think empirically, to act with empathy and to function proactively is at the core of our liberal way of life.

It is therefore not the aim of this book to attempt or appear to provide all the answers, but rather for each chapter to function as a starting point for factually based, informed thought and pleasant, mutually informative, solution-focused discussion with family, friends and colleagues.

From any study of South African history two main lessons become clear, and if you have not learnt and internalised them, you have indeed learnt nothing. The first is empathy with the vulnerable and the second is that it is never too late to change course and snatch success from the jaws of failure. These two realisations are what this book is rooted in.

I hope that this book will contribute to ensuring that our beloved South Africa will be okay and that it will prosper.

Jan-Jan Joubert

Cape Town

September 2019