It is surely a measure of the magical realism that animates politics more often than we might feel comfortable with that Cyril Ramaphosa’s parliamentary address last week ushered into the light an unlikely speaker of truth to power in the reinvented figure of John Hlophe. 

Of course, in this as in so many cases, “truth to power” is a matter of interpretation. But there’s no doubting Hlophe’s unembarrassed vigour as a newly minted leader of the opposition in calling Ramaphosa “a sophisticated liar, who can lie with a straight face”, adding — among other things, according to the TimesLIVE report — “He has been in power for more than five years, why would we trust his promises now?” ..

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