The brouhaha arising from Tokyo Sexwale's admission that he harbours ambitions for the presidency of the state and the ANC is interesting.

The brouhaha arising from Tokyo Sexwale's admission that he harbours ambitions for the presidency of the state and the ANC is interesting.

Sexwale will not win the hearts or votes of ANC delegates. Put simply, he will never be president even if a compromise candidate is sought. He just does not have what it takes to lead this country.

But Sexwale must be applauded by all democrats for declaring his availability for election. Only the brave and courageous do so. We need people who will defend this democracy through thick and thin.

Remember Archbishop Tutu's warning that dictatorship won't announce it's coming to South Africa. It won't beat drums. The opposition, civil society and even members of the ruling party need to be vigilant.

Sexwale's bravery follows the DA's federal congress when hopefuls such as Joe Seremane and Athol Trollip put themselves forward.

That is democracy at work.

South Africans need to know who has the appetite for political power so that we can begin to scan for the right candidate. We don't deserve surprise candidates.

With Sexwale's overtures, we believe Terror Lekota, Cyril Ramaphosa and Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma will follow suit, for the sake of democratic consolidation and protection.

Vela Ntuli

Roodepoort