What Judge Hillary Squires described as a ‘generally corrupt relationship’ and ‘mutually beneficial symbiosis’ between then deputy President Zuma and Shabir Shaik wasn’t enough to motivate collaboration.

A rape trial in the same year wasn’t enough to motivate collaboration.

Zuma and his ministers plotting Omar al-Bashir's escape wasn’t enough to motivate collaboration. Surely, a relationship with a criminal against humanity should have been enough!

Even a Zuma-admitted friendship with the Guptas where most of the criminality lay below the surface, but where there was sufficient evidence around favours such as the use of a military base, was not enough.

A president who literally laughed off his unconscionable and dishonest Nkandla spend should have been enough.

A president who recalled a clearly competent finance minister shaking both local and international confidence still wasn’t enough.

Effective collaboration in a crisis requires proactive leaders who push boundaries and build relationships across organisations. Save South Africa, while welcome, seems to have taken so long.

We have to learn to collaborate with more agility. Collaboration cannot be the salvo when the hurricane has hit when people are homeless and starving. I watched the press conference on 2 November, as the collaborative spoke to the Save South Africa campaign, with mixed emotions. I felt some sense of reassurance that a group of influential people stood up to speak for a country in clear crisis. At the same time, I felt angry as I watched many who have worked side-by-side with Jacob Zuma for not collaborating sooner.

Many articles have been written on the incredible lack of collaboration between US security agencies which, had it been different, could have prevented the 911 disaster and thousands of deaths.

What are we waiting for? What disaster will we say could have been prevented?

Start collaborating today

Around corruption on www.corruptionwatchconnected.org

In Joburg on www.joburgcitynetwork.com

Janice Scheckter, MD of Indigo New Media and collaboration activist, believes that collaboration will Save South Africa.