In SA it seems there are two versions of bad faith; politicians on the hunt for headlines and those who see leverage in the suffering of others. Both reveal a dearth of integrity.
In recent weeks there have been tragic reports on children dying from food contamination, ostensibly related to the use of toxic pesticides that are supposed to be restricted for use by farmers.
In an especially tragic incident, six children from Naledi in Soweto died after ingesting pesticides. It is not clear yet whether there is a surge in these incidents or merely a surge in the reporting of them, but what is crystal clear is that populist politicians are more than happy to trample the dead in their haste to weaponise the distress and fear felt by ordinary people against foreign nationals and — in this case — the spaza shops they own in the townships.
ActionSA, for example, seems to think that banning foreigners from owning spaza shops will address the use of pesticides in shops, townships and informal settlements. The real issues — municipal decline and the collapse of sewerage, waste management and water services in many metros — are far less appealing to populists because they require serious people with serious solutions.
Then, FairPlay, a lobby group for poultry producers, tried to link poisoning deaths to legally imported chicken, a notion that stretches the boundaries of seriousness and decency.
All parties ought to avoid such reckless conduct.
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