Nkandla whitewash, FIFA bribery will extract a high price from the ruling ANC

As a young journalist, among the best advice I ever received was to not over-estimate the knowledge of your audience, but never under-estimate their intelligence. Remembering the second part saved me from great embarrassment many times. Joe Sixpack is very smart. He might not be able to quote Shakespeare, but it's a mistake to challenge his grasp of those things he has taken the trouble to learn about.

That said, I'm predicting a high price will be extracted from the dismissive treatment of South Africans over the Nkandla and FIFA bribery issues. Whomever thought of adding the "firepool" video to the whitewash over Zuma's Folly has been sitting in the sun too long. Ditto Danny Jordaan's contention the $10m paid to a crooked Caribbean soccer chief wasn't a bribe, but earmarked for "development". Those responses serve only to reinforce perceptions while triggering dozens of new questions from all but the sycophantic inner circle.

The good news is this is all being aired in the open. And as a constitutional democracy, we are among one seventh of people on earth entitled to publicly debate these issues, have the truth exposed and act on it. Before last week, the ruling ANC had opened the door to a regime change in next year's critical local elections. It now looks like they've invited the opposition to take over the whole house.

Viva competitive politics, viva.

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