It is a miracle. That I am alive, with a functional brain, after an accident that almost killed me on the afternoon of August 2 is really a miracle.

I fell off a quad bike in Cullinan, Pretoria, and sustained head injuries. It was very bad. I remember nothing about the accident. I have no memory of it because when I fell off, I became unconscious.

My gratitude goes to Netcare Montana Hospital. The staff took great care of me in the ICU. A successful surgical operation was done on my face to repair the bones that were broken. There was minor bleeding on my brain, but the doctor told me not to worry about it, as it was drying up.

The excellent medical care I received at Montana reinforced my belief that private institutions provide a better service than government institutions. Anyone who denies that fact is being dishonest or is clueless about our society.

After surviving this accident, it feels like I have been given a second chance in life. Another chance to change the world for the better.

Over the past few years, I have devoted part of my labors to educating people of South Africa about the importance of individual freedom, free markets, law and order, and all that characterizes a free society.

The work I have done over the past years is very little – and I could have done it better. Now, going forward, I will work harder in advancing the ideas of individual freedom in South Africa.

We have seen how abusive, corrupt and dictatorial government can be in this country. From the days of apartheid – to today. In the democratic South Africa, government’s abuse of power reached its peak over the past decade. Corruption became more entrenched and state interventions in the economy increased. Government spent beyond its means – resulting in increased government debt and deficits. Joblessness also rose.

Under the current President, Cyril Ramaphosa, the dire economic situation persists and is deteriorating.

And then came the COVID19 pandemic this year – which government handled well in the beginning – and then bungled along the way which led to further economic decline.

In this very rough time for our nation, more voices are needed to enlighten the masses on how destructive politicians are.

There is only one sensible way forward for South Africa’s socioeconomic progress – it’s for government to free up the economy. There’s no need for government to own businesses. Government is not a job creator – business is a job creator. Business should be seen as a mechanism that can be used to reduce poverty in the country. All government needs to do is to focus on creating an environment conducive to rapid business growth.

We also need more voices to speak against government’s alliance with labor unions. This alliance has been one of the hurdles in the building of a prosperous South Africa.

Unions oppose pro-market reforms and they support and advocate for stringent labor laws. All these resulting in dismal growth and rising joblessness - harming the poor. They wield enormous powers in the country and almost always get what they want. All this is made possible by the current ANC government.

Don’t get me wrong. Freedom of association is critical in a democratic society. So, I will never, ever, advocate for the banning of labor unions. It’s government that needs to cease sleeping on the same bed with them – at the expense of the rest of our society.

What I have echoed above entirely has to do with how I believe public policy should look like and how government should conduct itself. However, it is one element of what will make us a prosperous nation.

The other element – the most crucial one that I have written about before – is personal responsibility. I have argued repeatedly that South Africa can only become a better country if it champions personal responsibility. People are and should be responsible for their own progress.

On social media, my messaging has mainly focused more on personal responsibility. Because no matter how good government policy can be – if people continue to make children they cannot afford, fathers abandoning their children, crime, laziness, they won’t achieve much prosperity in life.

That is the truth I will keep peaching over the upcoming years. I will not stop – because I want to see South Africa becoming a hard-working, prosperous nation.

We need a new mindset – that does not regard government as a solution to most of our problems. We the people will solve our problems. That will be my message all the way through.

Phumlani M. Majozi is a senior fellow at AfricanLiberty.org. Views expressed here are his own. Follow him on Twitter: @PhumlaniMMajozi. His website is phumlanimajozi.com.