Bronwyn Williams

The young man told me: “We'll wait for the old guard to die out.” I'd asked him about his generation's appetite for taking on the mess that is South Africa’s political leadership. Speaking at a Flux Trends’ event on youth insights research, he may be waiting a while. But, while patience is a virtue, so is action.

The average age of a South African MP has edged up to 59 in recent years, and they’re not showing much enthusiasm for early retirement. This means even the most patient 20-something has half a lifetime to wait for new political ideas to progress one funeral at a time.