"Whom the gods would destroy, they first make mad with power," said Charles Beard, building on an ancient proverb. The US historian would have been spoilt for choice had he been alive in SA today, for there is plenty of madness in our land among those who wield power and those who imagine themselves powerful. It’s like a bad reality TV show, minus the reality. Let’s examine a few choice examples. Consider Mzwanele "Jimmy" Manyi, the self-styled "activist for transformation" who runs a one-man foundation and likes to tweet, like Donald Trump. Last week, he tweeted that he wears the title "peacetime revolutionary" as a badge of honour. Manyi’s main occupation seems to be acting as a shill for the Guptas and performing as critic-in-chief of Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan. The record shows that Gordhan’s contribution to our democratic revolution began before peacetime. Fortunately, he can now rely on the expertise of someone unsullied by the struggle to lecture him about transformation...

Subscribe now to unlock this article.

Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).

There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.

Cancel anytime.

Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.

Speech Bubbles

Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.