You know it’s election season when normally moderately sensible politicians start making silly statements. This weekend it was Western Cape premier Helen Zille’s turn when she conditionally endorsed a tax revolt. Even on the most favourable interpretation, it’s hard to credit, and DA leader Mmusi Maimane rightly distanced himself from it. Zille’s argument that if after a time no-one is arrested and charged for the “industrial-scale” corruption we hear about daily from the Zondo commission and elsewhere, South Africans will be duty-bound to seek an alternative. The problems with the argument are many. First, it obviates the logic of democracy for a portion of the population to decide whether it is justified to refuse to comply with the law. Second, in the SA context, Zille’s argument would only really work if there had been no changes in government in response to corruption. But the past 10 months have seen some enormous changes, starting of course with the early departure of the pre...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
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.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.