Former DA leader, Tony Leon reflects on his troubled land

Cronyism, corruption and continued economic decline are some of the themes that former leader of the Democratic Alliance (DA) Tony Leon analyses in his latest book, Future tense: Reflections on my troubled land.

Leon, (65), who retired as leader of the DA and from mainstream politics in 2007 was at Ballito Junction’s Exclusive Books last Wednesday promoting the book he wrote during lockdown last year.

“I realised this book would be my sanity. I would have an afternoon project and every day to work on it. Even if it was rubbish, I would have been productive during lockdown,” he said.

Released in March from Jonathan Ball Publishers, Leon presents a portrait of today’s South Africa and prospects for the future, drawing from his 30-year political involvement with the country’s key players: Cyril Ramaphosa, Jacob Zuma, Thabo Mbeki, Nelson Mandela and FW de Klerk.

In the book Leon does not hold back in his criticism of former DA leader Mmusi Maimane, blaming many of the party’s problems on Maimane’s “irresolution and essential passivity on crunch issues and personnel matters”.

Leon said the ANC’s expiry date was fast approaching.

“There are many examples elsewhere in the world that at some point the liberation ticket expires. After about 30 years even the great liberation parties run out of steam or their ticket expires so there is a real chance, in the next election if the economy continues in this dreadful shape and the vaccine role-out continues in its very uncertain course, the ANC could get below 50%.

“It’s possible of course the ANC could do a deal with the EFF.”