Erratic Trump already bringing himself into disfavour

Lack of leadership qualities is putting pressure on the coalitions that brought him to power

26 January 2025 - 00:00 By XOLELA MANGCU

In the early aughts South Africans bore witness to a titanic but ultimately fratricidal battle between its two former presidents, Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma, with each representing one side of a dividing line between the smug elites and the restless, pitchfork-carrying “natives”. In the absence of a transcendent leader who could bang their heads together, the two men took the country down the ruinous path it has been on for the past 30 years...

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