Premium: Mashaba’s idea whose time has come

The French have blessed society with many good things – amazing food and wine, a beautiful language, classy fashion and superb cars among the most obvious. Perhaps that nation's greatest gift to mankind, however, are its writers and philosophers, whose words have lived long outlived them..Among the greatest of these gifts is poet and novelist Victor Hugo. His novels, headed by the classics Les Miserables and Hunchback of Notre Dame have enthralled tens of millions all over the world. But he also left us with many reflective quotes..My absolute Hugo favourite is: "Nothing else in the world … not all the armies … is so powerful as an idea whose time has come." It's a one-liner which may well have been adopted by entrepreneur-turned-politician Herman Mashaba..___STEADY_PAYWALL___.Mashaba's single focused idea to "Rid South Africa of ANC rule" has made the year-old Action SA the hottest property in the national political arena. Yesterday, the brightest of the DA's young stars, former Midvaal mayor Bongani Baloyi, became the newest member of ActionSA (click here to watch), joining a growing concentration of political talent which could transform Mashaba into a credible Presidential contender in the 2024 election..The Beloved Country, for so long blessed by its people and cursed by its leaders, is transforming. Because there really is nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come. Hope springs..More for you to read today:.RW Johnson: Our Potemkin constitution. The former Oxford Don revisits cadre deployment, explaining how it cancels out SA's constitutional protections.90% of Everything Is . . . Take a Guess. Venture capitalist Marc Andreessen explains the world with Sturgeon's law. Brilliant.What Is Cryptocurrency, and How Does It Work? WSJ answers some commonly asked questions about this hot, but little understood, asset..NB FOR YOUR WALL STREET JOURNAL ACCESS….As a Premium subscriber you are entitled to full membership of wsj.com (normal price $29 a month). Be sure to action your access through the Premium link on the BizNews website. Because of The Wall Street Journal's credential requirements, be sure to create a password which has at least 8 characters and includes at least one letter and one number – NB it MAY NOT contain any special characters (ie #, !, @ etc). To maintain access to WSJ.com, you MUST enter our partner's website via BizNews Premium at least once a month. A final PS, if you had previously signed up for WSJ you'll need to clear the cookies from your device. Our help desk can assist – support@biznews.com..If you'd like to help sustain our independent voice, why not share the love by making a gift that keeps giving? Click here to access the BizNews Premium subscription signup form, and be sure tick the relevant box. At R100 a month and inclusive of full membership of The Wall Street Journal, it's a mind-expanding gift at an incredibly modest price.

Premium: Mashaba’s idea whose time has come

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