LETTER: Jardine is not the answer to our challenges

There is a strong push, especially from the business sector, to have former Primedia CEO & FirstRand chair Roger Jardine stand as presidential candidate for the opposition coalition (“Roger Jardine eyes a solution to the ‘national problem’,” December 4).

Apparently, financial support for the opposition by business will be based on that condition. But this would be a disaster that would serve only the ANC.

Opposition parties have played on this wicket before. The Congress of the People dished up Mosiuoa Lekota at the last moment, and then opted for the ethical leadership of Bishop Mvume Dandala, who was —  and I believe still is — one of the best leaders this country has produced.

But Dandala was known only to Methodists and the middle class. And unfortunately, SA voters do not consider either moral standards or progressive policies when they vote. They respond to a person they know, political rhetoric and lies. That is why we had a character like Jacob Zuma occupying the Union Buildings for nine (wasted) years. He offered nothing in terms of policies, he just sang, danced and giggled.

Besides being unknown to most South Africans, Jardine can’t even speak one of the “majority” languages in SA, Zulu and Xhosa. There is no way that by April or May, when we get to cast our ballots, he will have won over the majority of voters, who are concentrated in KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng and the Eastern Cape.

There are three people in the opposition who could actually give the ANC a tough time at the polls — Songezo Zibi, Herman Mashaba and John Steenhuisen.

Manelisi Dubase
Gugulethu

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