Where is the #HandsOffAce brigade now?

It’s extraordinarily telling that entire campaigns were established to support Ace Magashule just a few months ago.

Today, however, those same people wouldn’t be caught playing chess with the dude. Perhaps it’s because he got outed by a chess grandmaster as a poser, or perhaps it’s because he’s come to terms that there is only one Carl Niehaus, not 16.

Then again Carl Niehaus is probably the only one doubling down, only to be called out by Razzmatazz Mbalula which itself was glorious.

But everywhere else you look, from the taxis that used to punt the slogan to social media, the #HandsOffAceMagashule campaign has lost its steam.

Now of course, I have no problem with Ace losing support. I do, however, have a problem with those who supported him getting away with it.

Remember when Juju promised us the glory of JZ, or when Zille promised us the glory of Maimane? Those didn’t work out so great, did they? Though the fall was never taken by the people who propped them up. The fall was always left to those who were propped up and, indeed, the rest of the country.

It’s not like we’re doing so well with a factionalised leadership and confusing opposition.

Somehow, though, the kingmakers never seem to take the blame. Zille is back in the fold of the party she was once celebrated in for delivering Mmusi, and despite once wanting to kill for Zuma, Juju was rewarded with the third biggest showing in a national election. Twice.

Perhaps it’s too much of a stretch to expect the law to punish those who bring us dud leaders. There would be all sorts of practicalities regarding what would be considered “bringing” and what constitutes a “dud” and the effect of criminal charges but not convictions etc.

It’s just excruciatingly annoying that the people we have little option but to “trust” keep delivering leadership that, to paraphrase a South Africanism, fails to provide leadership and they get away with it.

I’d like to think that if you recall a leader before the end of their term, it should be seen as an admission of error and enough of those should warrant some form of penalty.

I mean, how is it that a party leading the country has twice recalled a president and nobody has seen this as a failure to execute its mandate? How is it that a party was led by a dude who promised us the world but couldn’t, by his own implications, deal with a couple of dudes in the shadows in his own ranks, is left to chug along?

What about the dude who is constantly caught up with expensive stuff obtained through questionable means but vicariously cries poverty because of the children?

It’s unbelievably frustrating to be living in a political realm where we are promised leadership but when the promise is broken, attention is focused on the promised leadership and not those under them who made, or at least punted, the promise.

It’s time we put an end to this horrid South African reality. Perhaps the law is not placed to deal with the #HandsOffAceMagashule people and even if it were, it would be too much of a mission. No, this is a change we need to push as the electorate.

Just next time your once Ace-friendly friend starts complaining about the state of the country in some way, shape or form, politely ask, as a prodding reminder, “are you still protecting Ace?”

If the answer is yes, at least they have some backbone and consistency, though it may be badly placed. If the answer is no, at least make them buy you a drink for admitting they were wrong.

End of the story is that if we keep letting the kingmakers get away with delivering ridiculous kings, we shouldaccept that there will never be decent leadership in this country.

Richard Anthony Chemaly. Entertainment attorney, radio broadcaster and lecturer in communication ethics.