Money talks, integrity walks: Jardine’s failed bid for presidency

Wealthy backers who have more money than sense may have given Roger Jardine the impression he is presidential material.

He isn’t. He was artificially puffed up.

Based on his father Bill’s struggle credentials, Jardine was an early beneficiary of the ANC’s policies of cadre deployment and BBBEE (black economic empowerment).

He was gifted a string of unearned leadership roles in business. Whatever authority he yielded in boardrooms did not translate into political pulling power.

Sunday Times columnist Hogarth was being kind when he described Jardine as having the personality of a teddy bear. Mr Charisma bypass would be more apt.

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Two weeks after the launch of his Change Starts Now (CSN) party’s manifesto, Jardine announced they would not be contesting the 2024 elections. What a wimp-out.

They could not collect enough signatures to submit to the Electoral Commission (IEC) by Friday.

To contest all nine provinces, new parties must produce just over 100 000 signatures. Some newbies accepted the challenge, but CSN gave up at the first hurdle.

How did they imagine they could simply waft into the presidency?

In election season, there is much denigration of politicians as useless and driven only by self-interest. Stayers have thick skins.

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South African politics is not for sissies. There are hard yards to be endured.

To collect 100 000 signatures (and ID numbers) is indeed a tough task requiring effort, organisational skill and motivational flair, which are not bequeathed to cadres parachuted in to sinecures.

In these days of Popia (Protection of Personal Information Act), fake news and scams, not everyone is happy to give their ID number and signature without good reason.

Thus, some CSN activists tried to solicit signatures from known supporters of other parties by assuring them that signing did not indicate support for Jardine’s outfit.

That curious sales pitch proved not to be persuasive, unsurprisingly.

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Jardine’s damp squib campaign shows the limitations of politicians having media backing without substance. He has media connections, after being installed as Prime Media chief executive in 2014.

For two consecutive weekends in December last year, Jardine was the main story in the country’s biggest selling newspaper. Even though he wasn’t that newsworthy.

We were told: “Those funding the MPC (Multi-Party Charter) are said to have deep pockets and are adamant that they want a presidential candidate with stature and illustrious credentials.” Roger. Yeah right.

The first serious media mention of Jardine’s potential candidacy was buried in a Peter Bruce column on 26 November last year: “About R1 billion is said to be available to put behind an effort to vote the ANC out of office. But the money comes with conditions. The funders want their candidate, former Primedia CEO and FirstRand chair Roger Jardine, to be president.”

The audacity of money.

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If there is R1 billion available to help get the ANC voted out of office, let’s see it used more intelligently. Not wasted on a “teddy bear” BB-BEE beneficiary who doesn’t have the cojones for an electoral brawl.

Or who baulks at collecting signatures.

Apparently, some billionaires believe a presidency can be bought, and retain integrity, as if the act of paying for it doesn’t diminish the probity of the office. Eish.