EDITOR'S VIEW
RON DERBY: Populism is still as tantalising and easy an option as in Zuma years
The presidency of Jacob Zuma was an experiment with populism, and economically we are harvesting its fruit
I've often heard commentators talk about the risks of the slow creep of populism in SA and the risks that a populist government poses for a country which has at times seemingly insurmountable structural problems of unemployment and inequality. Faced with falling popularity, especially among the youth, the idea is that the governing party will have to push prudence aside as they battle the likes of a certain Julius Malema and his merry band of women and men in the Economic Freedom Fighters. By their definition, SA hasn't experienced a populist government. But I differ, when I consider the past decade of ANC governance. Truth be told, the presidency of Jacob Zuma was an experiment with populism, and economically we are harvesting its fruit. He may have come in on a leftist ticket, egged on by a certain Zwelinzima Vavi to have his "Lula" movement, but it was never a presidency based on any ideology. There was no shift to either left or right of the political spectrum. What was drummed ...
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