In drunken stupor Pauw threw his reputation under the bus

FROM the corridors of political power to the boardroom of multibillion-rand private and public institutions, a multitude of names in our lawless country have lost public favour over the past two decades.

Journalist Jacques Pauw has added his name to our hall of shame. In a drunken stupor he made allegations that were baseless and without any merit.

Under the influence of alcohol he threw his reputation under the bus.

When sanity was restored in his hazy memory, he rose up, gathered courage to profusely apologise to the nation for his serious and false accusations. It takes courage under fire to admit publicly that you were wrong. Indeed, his statement was a profile in courage.

Unlike those who currently are sitting on various power thrones and are the subject of serious crime investigations.

Over the past 20 years as a democratic, rainbow nation, careers were upended or fell from grace.

Power and prestige does not last forever, and in many cases it has been proven that reputations dissipate in the blink of an eye.

In an age of social media those who have done wrong are more vulnerable than ever.

Rock bottom is littered with famous faces. Many of our political leaders appear to be saints for as long as they wield power without facing the consequences, but tumble off that pedestal of cleanliness once they lose power or are ousted from the citadels of power.

It has been grimly proven that politics is indeed not a cathedral of morality when one explores the South African political landscape and the utter carnage it has left in it’s wake.

The depressing squalor of the previous leadership has created in law-abiding citizens a gnawing hunger for an impeccable and honest leader to lead us to prosperity and political sanity. FAROUK ARAIE | Gauteng