I agree with much of this, and it would certainly not have been my strategy, but at some basic level there is rational sense in Mr. Mashaba's strategy. First of all, it is unwise to think of him as not understanding what he is doing. There's past burn to contend with, yes, but I think the plan is more than that, and it's not that stupid. To understand the ropes and pulleys, you need to understand identity conflicts (not identity politics). The building blocks, as he sees them, are a small party with very little to lose. That, in modern politics, can be an asset, a luxury. So he taps into one of the most predictable, most misunderstood sources of power in the Joburg race: Helen's race, hidden under various coats of lipstick as alleged policy failures, Cape Town comparisons and past betrayals, but still, the red button is the "threat" of a "white party" taking over control of Joburg. And this is where parties like the DA, in response, and most of the punditry, completely misses the play. Past and current good governance, clean audits, leaders with good credentials and records, all sorts of rational arguments only go so far, and that's not very far. This is how identity conflict works. Fear-mongering is a part of it, but only a very small part. Mashaba, if I have this right, is one of the few SA politicians that understand identity conflict, at least at an instinctive level. He is using the in-group narratives of black concerns, past bad experiences, pride in own ability, ambition, and belonging to build his platform. These are powerful human levers that largely bypass the facts and track records that Mashaba cannot compete with. In-group conflict manipulation has a wonderful added bonus - the more you fight it, if you use the wrong tools, the stronger you confirm people in their previously held beliefs. You just drop the first tweet and the reply guys do the rest. A good strategy of course does not guarantee a good result, and I think ASA has too may other debits to really become a serious player after this election, but as a strategy, hammering Zille is an Ikea-ready political conflict strategy