GARETH VAN ONSELEN: A guide to political apologies
'Much has been made of the many and various apologies by South African politicians. What differentiates the one from the other?'
It is the season of the political apology. Then again, it always is. Much has been made of many and various apologies that South African politicians have offered up over the past few years. Some of them have been accepted; others dismissed with disdain. What differentiates the one type from the other? The fact is, there are many kinds of political apology and each serves a different purpose. Occasionally they are genuine, more often they are expedient, but the majority of them are designed to achieve some purpose other than to convey actual remorse or regret. Here is a guide to political apologies, with a selection of examples illustrating each one. The list is not comprehensive, but hopefully it will serve as a general index under which most political apologies can be categorised.Just remember, it doesn’t really matter what category an apology falls into, the reasons for accepting or rejecting it is an entirely different game. 1. The forthright apology Defined by the acceptance of ...
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