TONY LEON: Opposition is a thankless task, but we can’t do without it

The late former leader of the parliamentary opposition, Frederik Van Zyl Slabbert, once said that to do his job “you need iron in the soul”. That phrase provides the title for an interesting book I read recently on the leaders of the official opposition here, authored by Unisa academic Alex Mouton.

An even bleaker prospect was offered by the United Party MP Gideon Jacobs. He noted that being leader of the opposition is “the most thankless of tasks, probably the most difficult job in SA. Everyone is ready to find fault, few are available to help.” Having held that post for eight years, a postapartheid record, I can attest to the truth of that observation.

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