The conditions in the country are perfect for a politics of grievance and resentment. The pandemic simply made a bad situation intolerable. Millions are without work. The economy is in free fall.

Thousands of small businesses are being forced to shut down. Frustration mounts with never-ending lockdowns (many people just broke loose from their homes and ignored the guidelines at every stage) and, as if to pour salt into the wounds of a broken body politic, Eskom keeps resurfacing sometimes with inexplicably cheery announcements ahead of cutting off your electricity supply: We are pleased to announce a return to stage 1 load-shedding...