Once, South Africa dominated the nightly news for weeks on end. Now theliberal media barely mention it. Why not? Because post-apartheid SouthAfrica is a failure. (Just like the so-called “racists” and “extremists” said it would.–Ed)
Imagine how you would react if Gordon Brown opened and closed hiselection rallies by bursting into a song called Bring Me My MachineGun, swaying and jigging to the hypnotic chorus of this menacing ditty.
And how would you feel if the Prime Minister were alleged to betaking campaign money from Colonel Gaddafi; faced 783 counts of fraud,racketeering, tax evasion and corruption which somehow never came tocourt; and had been acquitted of rape while his fearsome supportersmobbed the courthouse?
Then ponder how you would despair if,despite all these things, Mr Brown’s party was certain to win theelection whatever he did or said.
If you can picture all thishappening here, then you have an inkling of the horrible process SouthAfrica is now going through. Except it is much, much worse.
This fast-approaching catastrophe is a source of shame andapprehension to millions of honest people, white and black, in SouthAfrica itself.
It is also a tragedy for Africa as a whole, acontinent hungry for any reason to hope. And it is grave news for thecivilised world, which needs no more failed states.
Yet I can promise you I will be accused of alarmism and pessimism for saying so, and quite possibly of ‘racism’ too.
Why?All the soppy admirers of Nelson Mandela – especially the BBC – gavethe new South Africa a free pass when apartheid ended 15 years ago.
Theywanted to believe this complicated and important nation had become asort of heaven on Earth where all tears were dried and all problemssolved.
Mr Mandela himself, personally decent but politicallyineffectual and naive, served as both figurehead and figleaf for thenew order. The world ignored or forgave his continuing friendships withthe world’s worst despots, and the fraudulent bungling that surroundedhim.
Now, looking frail, bemused and ancient, he recently hadto be helped on to the stage by his suspect would-be successor, toendorse the grotesque rabble who seek to succeed him.