Despite numerous studies by people showing, or trying to show, that the average intelligence of some groups of people is at least one standard deviation lower than that of some other groups, this certainly cannot be true in South Africa.
One is quite entitled to say that, because one cannot but admire the deftness and very capable parrying of difficult questions put to our parliamentarians – especially the ruling party. Their linguistic skills are phenomenal.
I am not aware, for instance, of any president who could survive by very fine strategic moves, eight motions of no confidence, skirt around worrying matters like Nkandla with consummate ease – even to the tune that the judgment of a Constitutional Court was so deftly handled that it “disappeared”.
Then there was the saga of the curious and cleverly constructed (to achieve a certain goal) dismissal of Nhlanhla Nene, the appointment of Des van Rooyen quickly dismissed, a reluctant appointment of Pravin Gordhan soon to be dismissed followed by the appointment of Malusi Gigaba.
It was widely reported in the media that there was a plot by President Jacob Zuma and an Indian family to gain control of the SA Revenue Service. Tom Moyane, the Gupta family and Zuma were all involved in a scheme to get rid of the righteous Gordhan who refused to be coerced.
Here again the smoke was so thick it signalled certainty of a big fire, but denials, false reports generated, strange collusions with the National Prosecuting Authority, suspicious timing of threats of arrest to Gordhan and others, all spoke of high capabilities to organise and conspire, of high intelligence, superior IQ.
So good that it left the EFF and the DA stranded and resembling fish in more ways than one.
That leaves us with a tricky question: is high IQ a good thing?
Following the mess around Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane and her clumsy efforts to "capture" the SA Reserve Bank, the scandalous efforts of Bell Pottinger calculated to escalate the racial divides in South Africa and their disingenuous efforts to coin a very incendiary phrase “white monopoly capital” and lastly the withdrawal of a supremely damaging report about the so-called "rogue unit' in Sars by KPMG gives air to a little personal slogan: “There is a limit to intelligence, but not to stupidity”!
And an old Afrikaans proverb: “slim vang sy baas” which freely translated means, “cleverness catches its owner”.
And “hulle kierangs gaan nou braai” which, in a sense, defies translation.