THAT Leonard Chuene is still in his post is testimony to how long a complete incompetent who enjoys the contempt of the nation can continue to hold onto office through shear bloody-mindedness.
Chuene has lost the confidence of many of the officials at provincial level in athletics.
He has been condemned and suspended by the South African Sport Confederation and Olympic Committee.
He is held in contempt by Caster Semenya, whom he deviously manipulated into the sporting world’s largest controversy of the year.
He has no supporters in society at large, including in the highest political echelons.
He has alienated the ANC, the DA and all other political parties, which wants him gone from his job.
Even the ANC Youth League, which loves nothing more than to drum up support for unsavory causes in exchange for publicity, has deserted him.
And yet Chuene endures. He continues with the business of running Athletics South Africa from day-to-day, imperilling its credibility and preventing the country from moving forward from the awful humiliation visited on Semenya.
What this illustrates is that this country is yet to develop the institutional capacity to deal with powerful figures who fail in their duties.
Public opprobrium is sufficient cause for public figures in most democracies to fall on their swords.
In South Africa the trend is for those who have failed to linger on, prolonging their appalling governance with no consequences.
This may be because leaders are yet to develop the consciences required to fulfill the promise of a transparent democracy.
Everything, no matter how awful, may be negotiated if one can use the system to one’s advantage. It’s time we rejected this culture in favour of much stronger accountability.

Related posts:

1. Malema and Chuene’s secret meeting – they should discuss their shame
2. Malema backs Chuene, Pope still Catholic.
3. Lying Chuene ruined Caster Semenya’s life
4. Cheune stays on. I’m flabbersmacked
5. ANC rips into ASA decision to keep Chuene – full text