Let academia clean up our political mess

This week, the courts slammed brakes on disgraced former South African president Jacob Zuma from contesting. Mr Zuma isn't embarrassed by his past.

A sense of anti-climax hangs over Africa as it fights off self-inflicted problems. It's a curious case of a people sabotaging their own success.

Decades into independence, the top-down rule by the elite club has failed. It's horrendous that the political scene is marred by greed and complacency. Of the world's 28 poorest countries, 27 are in sub-Saharan Africa where the rich 10 per cent control 56 per cent of the income. But like putting lipstick on a pig, we pretend to be just fine.