A man holds a placard reading 'For sale Nkandla' during a student demonstration in front of the Union Buildings in Pretoria on Friday — PICTURE: GETTY IMAGES Democracy works in SA — mainly for those who prefer running it down. Much has been said about last week’s backdown on Nkandla by President Jacob Zuma, but one point that has not been made is that it showed how wrong it is to get excited about disrupting Parliament as a way of getting the government to listen.It is common among insiders to insist that the disruptions of the past two years have made Parliament "more relevant". But, while the disruptions may entertain some people, they changed nothing. They were aimed at getting Zuma to "pay back the money" — they failed. The loud noise and theatrics were greeted by the Nathi Nhleko report, which seemed to make it less likely that he would pay back anything, and a united ANC caucus determined to protect him.Now, Zuma has shifted. While it is fashionable to explain this with comple...
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