STEVEN FRIEDMAN: Bosasa claims could cost ANC — or help its election campaign
Former COO Angelo Agrizzi’s allegations about the governing party’s links to corruption still need to be proven to voters
Will voters agree with the commentariat on the Bosasa allegations at the Zondo commission? That could decide this year’s election — but it depends on an issue virtually none of the reaction has bothered to discuss. Just about all commentary on former Bosasa COO Angelo Agrizzi’s claims has been a contest to see who can sound most morally outraged. While there is nothing wrong with anger at corruption claims, the job of journalists and commentators is to explain what this may mean politically. So far no-one has, even though the implications are clear — and very important. On the rare occasions commentators have moved beyond showing that they think corruption is a very bad thing, they have assumed that the allegations show the ANC is rotten to the core and so beyond saving. Obviously, if voters agree, we are headed for a coalition government as the ANC dips below 50%. But this is not nearly as inevitable as the moralisers would have us believe. A speech President Cyril Ramaphosa delive...
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