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Pauw added his name to our hall of shame

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FROM the corridors of political power to the boardrooms of multibilli­on-rand private and public institutio­ns, a multitude of names in our country have lost public favour.

Journalist Jacques Pauw added his name to our hall of shame. In a drunken stupor, he made allegation­s that were without merit and threw his reputation under the bus.

When sanity was restored, he gathered the courage to apologise to the nation for his serious and false accusation­s.

It takes courage under fire to admit publicly that you were wrong, unlike those who sit on various power thrones and are the subject of criminal investigat­ions and commit perjury. They are treated like celebritie­s.

Power and prestige do not last forever, and in many cases over the past decade it has been proven that it can dissipate. In an age of social media, those who have done wrong are more vulnerable. 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 they tumble off that pedestal once they are ousted from the citadels of power.

Democracy and freedom cannot

survive if we continue to accept our current political situation. Our problems are immense. They range from bribery to corruption by political leaders and government officials. What we are witnessing is the pauperisat­ion of the masses.

This is not a dream deferred. It is a dream totally and utterly destroyed.

FAROUK ARAIE

Gauteng

 ??  ?? Jacques Pauw
Jacques Pauw

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