Restoring SA's fading glory

The Nelson Mandela legacy is finally depleted. The "Madiba Magic" that opened international doors and wallets and froze criticism is no more.

- William Saunderson-Meyer

For some time, international obsequiousness had been wearing thin - even the right-on Joe Biden administration had become impatient with South Africa's anti-Western posturing - but it took Donald Trump to finally draw the curtain on perhaps the longest-running illusion in modern history.

Trump's freezing of billions in aid to South Africa, with more sanctions looming, has a simple moral. Actions have consequences.

What is more extraordinary is when an autonomous institution chooses self-immolation in preference to rescinding a council motion that puts it at odds with most of its staff and alumni, as well as a critical mass of the donors who have poured billions into making it the leading university on the African continent.