by Mphutlane wa Bofelo
Richard Turner’s The Eye of the Needle (1972) is not just a philosophical text—it is a radical political manifesto calling for participatory democracy in apartheid South Africa.
The title itself is a metaphor for moral difficulty and transformation, echoing Matthew 19:24: “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” Turner deploys this image to underscore the immense challenge of dismantling entrenched privilege—whether wealth or racial supremacy—in order to build a just and egalitarian society.
For Turner, democracy was not merely procedural; it was moral. Liberation required sacrifice, humility, and courage. The path to participatory democracy was narrow, demanding citizens to radically rethink social structures and actively shape political and economic life.
In South Africa’s post-apartheid era, the congress movement adopted the metaphor of the eye of the needle to frame leadership selection. It emphasized competence, integrity, and alignment with democratic values. Yet the reality has fallen short. Political parties face a crisis of leadership: leaders whose conduct is at odds with the society envisioned by Turner, IB Tabata , Jane Gool, Ruth First, Nimrod Sejake, Nikiwe Debbs Matshoba, Fatima Meer, Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe, Neville Alexander, Steve Biko, and Chris Hani. Instead of humility and service, we see careerism, empire-building, self-enrichment, and gatekeeping. Leader-centrism, personality cults, and commandism dominate—a far cry from people’s governance.
The social distance between leaders and the masses is vast. Permanent incumbency has replaced the ideal of leaders who pass on the baton and multiply themselves. Anti-corruption campaigns and lifestyle audits ring hollow, unable to pierce the culture of impunity. Philosophy and ethics are sidelined, leaving politics stripped of soul, reduced to accumulation rather than stewardship.
Perhaps what we need more urgently is not only the eye of the needle but the eye of the heart. Beyond procedural rigor in leadership selection, society requires empathy, ethical imagination, and servant leadership. Leaders must feel the struggles of the people, not merely manage them. Power must be understood as stewardship, not ownership. Leadership must be shared, renewed, and passed on—not hoarded.
Turner’s metaphor reminds us that building a just society is difficult, but possible. It requires moral courage, sacrifice, and transformation. Today, the challenge is not only to select leaders who can pass through the eye of the needle, but to cultivate leaders with the eye of the heart—leaders who embody humility, service, and a deep connection to the people they govern.
For democracy without ethics is a hollow shell. For governance without empathy is tyranny in disguise. For politics without philosophy is a game of accumulation, not liberation.
The needle is narrow. The heart is vast. Our task is to stitch them together.
*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.
