The dangerous situation in South Africa seems to have arisen because former President Jacob Zuma has been sent to prison for corruption.
Zuma was an arch-populist who whipped up support amongst the uneducated urban poor against the educated middle classes, described as "the elite", very much in the same vane as Trump and populists leaders every where. Their mantra of divide and rule succeeds by enciting hatred .
It does not seem to matter that Zuma, like Trump, is a corrupt billionaire, they still portray themselves "man of the people" and once their base of fanatical supporters have been fired up by rallies and rhetoric, all their ills are blamed on the "others" and such visceral hatred leads to violence. and destruction.
