Robin Renwick, Britain’s “undiplomatic diplomat”, defending Rupert, laying bare the Zuma kleptocracy

It's perhaps no surprise that Lord Robin Renwick works out of offices in Mayfair that are directly opposite the house where "The Lady With The Lamp" lived and died. Because like the famous Florence Nightingale, this most undiplomatic diplomat uses a lamp of his own, his books, to expose areas of darkness. In his ninth book, How To Steal A Country, Renwick lets the facts speak for themselves, and then skilfully follows the advice of his friend Pravin Gordhan to 'join the dots.' It's a well written easily flowing record of the young democracy's darkest hour and how it managed to escape a very gloomy future. And with a manuscript vetted by Gordhan himself, this is about as close to the ugly truth of the Zuma Kleprocracy as we're likely to get. I spent an hour with Lord Renwick last week. This edition of Rational Perspective provides the highlights of that fascinating conversation. – Alec Hogg 

Today we take a deep dive into the Zuma-Kleptocracy and what comes next for SA by tapping into the considerable experience of an 81-year old undiplomatic diplomat. He's just written his ninth book. It's called – 'How to Steal a Country.' No prizes for guessing its topic. Although he had a 4-year spell as Britain's Ambassador to the United States (USA) and that would be the UK's top, foreign posting. It was his time in Southern Africa that stirred the passion, which still burns brightly. Let's meet him.

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