JONATHAN JANSEN: The life of Kathrada and the political death of Zuma
'Our demise as a nation is not inevitable, as Kathrada‘s life so amply demonstrates, but the threat of national decay remains a real possibility as Zuma‘s presidency so vividly reminds us'
TWO men died last week. The one a hero of the liberation struggle whose long and distinguished life reflected the greatness of a movement that inspired millions over the course of a century. The other a fallen hero whose life of relentless greed, excess and impunity continues to place our country at great risk. The physical death of Ahmed Kathrada could not have contrasted more sharply with the political death of Jacob Zuma. The two deaths were unavoidably intertwined; one analyst at the funeral said it was difficult to eulogise one without at the same time denouncing the other.Those two deaths also conveyed the reality of South Africa, a country in the habit of swinging between hope and despair. But the life of these two leaders also presented two choices still available to the citizenry. Our demise as a nation is not inevitable, as Kathrada‘s life so amply demonstrates, but the threat of national decay remains a real possibility as Zuma‘s presidency so vividly reminds us. The five...
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