Beware the populist wolves
If African governments, including those run by former liberation movements, continue to abuse the trust of their people by making empty promises and through practising self-enrichment, unscrupulous populists will continue to rise.
A case in point is the political soap opera that culminated in the resignation of South African President Jacob Zuma on Wednesday night, which holds many important lessons for Namibia, given the well-documented, shared history of the two nations.
This is especially true when one analyses the way Zuma had initially used populist rhetoric to position himself as a man of the people and someone who is 'pro-poor'.
When Zuma rode the populist train, in the run-up to the 2007 African National Congress (ANC) Polokwane national conference, he was an 'outsider'.
Back then he was fired from government, and together with his backers in Cosatu, the South African Communist Party, the ANC Youth League and sections of the ANC, was challenging the establishment led by a supposedly aloof President Thabo Mbeki.
Yet, when Zuma ascended to the party, and later the state presidency, he used his powers to run a now well-documented state capture project, which resulted in billions being siphoned from the country's fiscus, at the expense of the poorest of the poor.
Perhaps it is not fair to use Zuma as yardstick for those who spew populist rhetoric simply as a pretext to place their hands on the levers of power. However, his rise is certainly a blueprint that can be followed by the likeminded. Unsurprisingly, the proponents of populism argue that the established political order needs to be disrupted, as it no longer listens to the people or cares about them.
In the Namibian context, 28 years after independence, many feel let down, miserable and hopeless, as the fruits of freedom remain out of reach. This in itself is a breeding ground for those who would use these genuine gripes to their own advantage.
For now, they only appear to be winning popularity contests on social media.
However, that may change in the years to come, as radical populism, spewed by wolves in sheep's clothing, is used to secure ever-decreasing spaces at the state feeding trough.
A case in point is the political soap opera that culminated in the resignation of South African President Jacob Zuma on Wednesday night, which holds many important lessons for Namibia, given the well-documented, shared history of the two nations.
This is especially true when one analyses the way Zuma had initially used populist rhetoric to position himself as a man of the people and someone who is 'pro-poor'.
When Zuma rode the populist train, in the run-up to the 2007 African National Congress (ANC) Polokwane national conference, he was an 'outsider'.
Back then he was fired from government, and together with his backers in Cosatu, the South African Communist Party, the ANC Youth League and sections of the ANC, was challenging the establishment led by a supposedly aloof President Thabo Mbeki.
Yet, when Zuma ascended to the party, and later the state presidency, he used his powers to run a now well-documented state capture project, which resulted in billions being siphoned from the country's fiscus, at the expense of the poorest of the poor.
Perhaps it is not fair to use Zuma as yardstick for those who spew populist rhetoric simply as a pretext to place their hands on the levers of power. However, his rise is certainly a blueprint that can be followed by the likeminded. Unsurprisingly, the proponents of populism argue that the established political order needs to be disrupted, as it no longer listens to the people or cares about them.
In the Namibian context, 28 years after independence, many feel let down, miserable and hopeless, as the fruits of freedom remain out of reach. This in itself is a breeding ground for those who would use these genuine gripes to their own advantage.
For now, they only appear to be winning popularity contests on social media.
However, that may change in the years to come, as radical populism, spewed by wolves in sheep's clothing, is used to secure ever-decreasing spaces at the state feeding trough.
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Namibian Sun
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