Dictators espectially brutal ones, whether friendly to the West or not should understand that people will rise up and stand up to all of them like every continent. Zuma should support those efforts like he did in Burundi and tell Kagame and all other African dictators that their days to face justice are coming.

Agreed, both – especially that ‘the people themselves must be convinced of the efficacy of democracy.’

Achieving democracy is not a top down, but a bottom up process. Govts. do not and cannot make people ‘free’ – they are at best only instruments towards it. ‘Democracy’ has to be exacted – if not actually wrenched – from rulers.

There is no mystery about ‘African democracy’ or the lack of it. It is that society in Africa is not democratic at this period. Leaders cannot run ahead of that fact even if they wanted to – and mostly leaders are quite happy to leave things where they are until it blows up in their faces, as it did eventually for friend Mugabe.

That said, Africa has journeyed far with regard to democracy and it will get better as time goes on, particularly if South Africa can be written up as a success story in the long term. If we can continue along the democratic path whilst at the same time eradicate corruption and crime (some at least) and most importantly, have the majority of our people living decently and with dignity – then our success could be the catalyst for other African Leaders to really “come on board” the democracy train.

There is a rite of passage to genuine, meaningful democratic government – has any country made it all the way as yet?

Everyone needs to think out what is being offered to these powerful and brutal people.

If it is a bribe to leave office, it would have to be a bribe, pure and simple – no disagreeable conditions can be attached to it or it will not be accepted. If it is not a bribe, then the ‘offer’ must in some way be backed by a penalty – if you do not accept this, harsh consequences will follow.

But no consequences follow anything these tyrants do – that is the point. They know they enjoy impunity.

This is a proposal from people who are not able or prepared to do anything else about it. The idea is unoriginal, undesirable and, worst of all, unworkable.

Most of them are wealthy old men, who have probably not been responsible for the deaths of more people than your average global multinational CEO.

Besides, its a small price to pay for the democratization of millions of poeple.

Zuma is correct we need a once-off amnesty for the dictators to reliquish power to expedite democracy in Africa. As South Africans we have seen how having a strong democratic basis have helped us avoid civil war, overthrow of government, chaos and other ills that are gripping Africa.