South African Democracy and the Zim Analogy
In The Star, Mosibudi Mangene wonders about the state of South Africa’s democracy, with Zimbabwe as the looming warning post. The Zimbabwe analogy is, I suppose, a logical one (just as those who wanted to make sense of the Zimbabwe election fiasco looked to Kenya, and those wanting to understand Kenya looked elsewhere as well). But it is also a facile analogy. If South Africa fails — and I do not believe that it will — it will not be because of its correlation with Zimbabwe, but rather because of failings of its own.