If a person hears the word whirlwind for the first time, without that person knowing its meaning and spelling, misunderstanding is guaranteed.

From its pronunciation, whirlwind sounds as something to be welcomed and embraced.

In reality, however, it means disaster. Actually, it can mean any of the violent storms such as tornado or hurricane.

Such is the land talk to the emotional voters of South Africa, it makes both politicians and voters not to see the wood for the trees.

It is just a ploy by the ANC to cling to power through constantly raising fanciful topics every week, whereas existing problems are shelved away. However, it is the electorate which fuels the arrogant mainstay of politicians' populism.

Voters in this country are ignorant and forgetful, consistently voting into power incapable leaders and then suddenly turning against them when the mood says so. As things stand, South Africa has a president elected by the politicians, not the millions of voters.

Cyril Ramaphosa should as a result be known only as an acting or interim president, until he wins an election.

We have fully forgotten in such a short time that it was the same ANC who defended ferociously a destructive Jacob Zuma whose leadership plunged the then number one economy in Africa into junk status and chaos. Let us all please close our eyes and believe in our dreamland, that all land has been taken from white citizens without compensation.

In this fantasy, the corruption-free government of the ANC and the saintly EFF have all the land given to black people regardless of tribe, clan, political affiliation and gender. Let us imagine that there were no economic sanctions or long-standing legal disputes and everything is fine.

Now suddenly we wake up and the Khoikhoi and San are claiming all the land in southern Africa as its original inhabitants. Lesotho and Swaziland are also claiming the Free State and Mpumalanga respectively as their own possessions, and that they lost these lands to colonialism.

The Ndebele and Ngoni in Zimbabwe and Malawi respectively also claiming land from the Ingonyama trust on the basis that the great king Shaka militarily forced them out of KZN.

I have advice for the ANC, EFF and fellow South Africans. Please learn to consult, respect and listen to the elders. Desist from populist slogans and deal with real and immediate issues before attempting bigger ones.

The borders of Africa - including our country - were formulated in Berlin, Germany in 1884-85, not in Luthuli House. Forgiveness and reconciliation are too precious for us to lose, all because of power hungry politicians.

Khotso KD Moleko,e-mail