The life of Chief Albert Luthuli bears lessons of considerable relevance to South Africa's crisis of leadership. His understanding of ethics, service and willingness to sacrifice were carefully considered and articulated in a manner that needs to be studied and imparted to the present generation.

This article first appeared on Creamer Media's website polity.org.za. It is part of a series on leadership. Read parts One, Two, Three, Four and Five.

Some of those who have read my work may be weary of the continual return to Chief Albert Luthuli. I do so because his life has a bearing on some of the most important issues of our time, questions that continue to bedevil our relationships with one another and the qualities of leadership that we seek.

Luthuli's life has relevance to the scourge of violence and the status of nonviolence, and the value placed on peace in our lives, the relevance of religious beliefs in a secular society, questions of masculinity and gender equality, ethical leadership and the question of service, and the interrelationship between numerous identities and communities that coexist in South Africa. It bears on bravery, but not the bravery of the daredevil. It is a bravery that...