Jacob Zuma has a tough task ahead of him, even tougher than swearing to uphold the constitution while keeping a straight face. To avoid the ultimate horror — living off just his pension — he needs to sell SA the last thing many of its people want: chaotic, arbitrary rule by decree.

To be fair, if anyone can do it, it’s him and his MK party, a group that is proving adept at mashing together contradictory positions and selling them as common sense. ..