Nowadays, as we scan the breaking news, it seems like we're reading a thriller novel. The South African political and economic story is as far-fetched and as full of drama as any book by the likes of John le Carré or Frederick Forsyth. As the critics say, it's a page-turner, and we are moving rapidly towards the climactic final chapter. The multiple story threads - from rape cases to fire pools, from junk status to spy tapes, from nuke plots to state capture - are all coming together in one big denouement. Just a few pages to go.But, when the intrigue has played itself out, we won't be able to simply put a dog-eared tome back on the shelf. The action will continue; it's all real, and we'll have to suffer the consequences of the final twists and turns.We are characters in this tale of power-play, of move and counter-move, of deception and deceit. And the great majority of us can do little to change the infernal plot at this late stage. It's very scary.If the bad guys, aka "the Zuptas", come out on top, the economy seems sure to shrivel; a hammer will be taken to the Treasury piggy bank and our money will soon be gone. That will lead to other bad things - to be read about in the sequel developing in the cunning mind of our novelist.So, we hold thumbs for the good guys, Pravin Gordhan & Co, because if they come out on top things are likely to turn out a lot better for us millions of bit-part players - particularly the poorest. Jacob Zuma's predations have exacerbated poverty, at the very least, and things will get worse if he and his friends are allowed to run amok.The ANC, which placed its trust in Zuma and defended him in his darkest moments, has been scarred. He has shown the party that loyalty and the party line can easily be subverted and manipulated.An English writer from another age, Walter Scott, wrote: "Oh! What a tangled web we weave / When first we practice to deceive!"Will we be caught in that spider's web? What does the twisted mind of the author of our awful thriller have in store for us? Keep reading...