I want to pick up a factual thread set out in Michael Trapido’s reasoned post, “The Zuma conundrum“, and deal, as an aside, with some of the reactions to his post.

For the record, I have never met Michael Trapido. I got to read some of his columns only after I first discovered Thought Leader about eight months ago. Although I was a journalist in South Africa for almost 15 years between 1980 and 1995 and have a fairly well-established group of friends and contemporaries across South African society, until Thought Leader I had never even heard of Trapido.

Other than his poor choice in football clubs, I have no problem with what Trapido writes. In fact, I thoroughly enjoy his posts to Thought Leader. This is of course, significantly different from what I have come to understand over the past weeks as egregious solipsism by parvenu types whose submissions tend to be devoid of any factual basis, logical coherence or intellectual honesty. This should, however, not deter intelligent discussion. I simply consider the noise and clutter as no more than the simulated orgasm of the impotent …

So, having cleared the path for intelligent discussion, Trapido makes the point that the ANC will be the next government. This is, of course, correct. What is important to remember is that the ANC does not own South Africa; Jacob Zuma is not the major shareholder of South Africa Pty Ltd. The people of the country own South Africa. If the people are unhappy, their elected officials are responsible for putting pressure on the governing party — another of Trapido’s points. If you don’t like the way they run the country, boot them out of office. That is why there are elections.

I want to recall a conversation I had with a fellow journalist, Tim du Plessis, around 1992/93 — hoping, of course, that I do not misrepresent him: “The Afrikaner must learn that they can win, even if they don’t win the election or run the government. In the past they believed that the only way they could win was to hold on to everything,” Du Plessis said.

There is no reason to get hysterical (I am not saying anyone is actually hysterical), nor is there any reason to be apocalyptic (I am not saying anyone is actually apocalyptic). The country belongs to the people who live in it — not to the governing party or the government. If your candidate or party does not win an election, it is not the end of politics or your role of putting pressure on government; that is why there are opposition parties, that is why there is a Constitution, that is why there are elections. If I can paraphrase Du Plessis, another democratic election is another step towards consolidating the liberal capitalist democracy established in 1994. That can only be a good thing.

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  • I am a political economist. In earlier incarnations, I worked as a journalist and photojournalist, as a professor of political economy and an international and national public servant. I rarely get time to write for this space as often as I would like to.... I don't read the comments section

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I Lagardien

I am a political economist. In earlier incarnations, I worked as a journalist and photojournalist, as a professor of political economy and an international and national public servant. I rarely get time...

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