As 2025 draws to a close, the world is weary from volatility yet restless with possibility. Trade wars, geopolitical crises, and fragile coalitions have tested resilience from Washington to Pretoria. And yet, as we step into 2026, a deeper question confronts us: what truly defines greatness in governance and development? Titles and ranks have proven brittle. What endures is intelligence in all its forms—intellectual, emotional, social, and spiritual—woven together by compassion.
A World at the Crossroads
Globally, 2025 was a year of turbulence. Trade disputes rattled markets, geopolitical tensions flared in the Middle East, and climate shocks reminded us of our shared vulnerability. Yet amid the volatility, there were glimmers of renewal: proposals of new trade frameworks, cautious optimism in executive outlooks, and grassroots movements demanding justice and sustainability.
The lesson is clear. Technical expertise and institutional authority alone cannot steady the ship. What the world needs in 2026 are leaders who combine intellectual rigor with emotional empathy, social wisdom, and spiritual clarity—leaders who understand that compassion is not sentiment but strategy.
South Africa’s Test of Resilience
Closer to home, South Africa’s political landscape in 2025 was defined by coalition politics under the Government of National Unity. Fragile alliances tested the art of compromise, while economic uncertainty weighed heavily on households.
The Reserve Bank warned of turbulence ahead, even as inflation remained relatively contained. Yet by year’s end, cautious optimism emerged. The mainstream discourse suggests that stringer coalition dynamics hint at the possibility of renewal, and markets showed signs of resilience.But the deeper challenge remains: inequality, unemployment, and service delivery failures continue to erode trust.
South Africa’s future will not be secured by titles or party positions, but by leaders who embody compassion-driven intelligence; leaders who can bridge divides, inspire trust, and place dignity at the center of development.
Redefining Greatness in Governance
Intellectual intelligence fuels innovation, but without compassion it risks becoming cold and technocratic. Emotional intelligence builds resilience and empathy, reminding leaders that progress is measured not only in GDP but in dignity.
Social intelligence fosters trust and unity, ensuring that governance strengthens communities rather than fragments them. Spiritual intelligence anchors leadership in values and purpose, elevating politics beyond power toward service.
Together, these forms of intelligence are not separate silos but interconnected strands of human greatness. And compassion is the thread that binds them. It ensures that intellect serves humanity, emotions foster healing, social bonds strengthen unity, and spirituality guides us toward justice.
The Measure of 2026
As we enter 2026, the measure of greatness must shift. The leaders who will truly shape the future are not those with the most accolades or the highest offices, but those who embody intelligence in all its forms and act with compassion at every level.
Governance is not about who sits in the highest office but about how that office serves the lowest citizen. Politics is not about who wins elections but about who wins dignity. Development is not about who grows richer but about who grows freer.
The old measures of greatness—titles, ranks, wealth—are brittle. They shatter under the weight of history. What endures is compassion expressed through intelligence.
A Call for Renewal
2026 offers a chance to redefine greatness. Globally, it is a chance to move beyond volatility toward cooperation. In South Africa, it is a chance to turn fragile coalitions into genuine unity, and economic uncertainty into inclusive growth.
The question is not whether we will have leaders with titles. We will. The question is whether those leaders will have compassion. For in the end, greatness is not solitary. It is shared, sustained, and remembered. And it begins not with titles or wealth but with compassion.
*Dr Mphutlane wa Bofelo is a political theorist, social critic, and governance and political science scholar with an interest and experience in transformative education, training, and development practices.
