Zille’s rant is denting public confidence

Helen Zille is playing a very dangerous, populist game in trying to claim that the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) and the judiciary are being “captured” by the ANC.

Her initial claim – slightly modified and toned down later – was that the Constitutional Court had somehow leaked to the ANC its decision that the upcoming local government elections should go ahead.

She then suggested that the IEC was also complicit in a move to allow the ANC to recover from its massive failure to register candidates for the election ahead of the 23 August deadline.

At no point in any of her accusations has Zille provided a shred of proof to back up her claims … other than to argue that the judiciary must be captured because it is appointed by the Judicial Service Commission selected by the ANC.

This is populist rabble-rousing at its finest – and no better than the attacks on our courts by sundry political loudmouths and miscreants.

Zille also claims that “the media” (the convenient bogeyman for every politician devoid of ideas) is ignoring the story, because it supports the ANC.

That is rubbish.

However, diatribes like this cannot help but lower public confidence in the judiciary and that bodes ill for any democracy.