Let’s expose the demagogues in our midst

The Americans blame the Russians for Donald Trump, the British blame Jeremy Corbyn for Boris Johnson, and South Africans want to blame the intra-African ANC fighting for the dream deferred. Perhaps we could realise that we are witnessing a global spectacle.

Whether you want to speak about the public display of demagogic behaviour by some leaders in the ANC or the brazen looting of the public purse, one thing is clear – our democracy had bred demagogues.

Demagogues have become a natural product of our form of government, which depends on elections. The most one can rationally hope for is that a majority of the (participating) electorate will identify the demagogue and reject his or her message. But history