At issue in the Shaik saga is what is acceptable political behaviour in the new South Africa. Zuma and much of the country does not believe he has done wrong. This trial puts entitlement in the dock and its outcome will influence how politics and business are done in the future.

Zuma remains so popular and the African National Congress so quiet on the issue because in the old South Africa, white power brokers used power to secure privilege, so why should the rules be different now?

An understanding of why such entitlement is wrong - because Zuma's enrichment denies others the chance to prosper - has not yet taken root because we are still redressing the old balances. While the rich are white and the poor black, voices against black entitlement will be muted.

With acknowledgements to Peter Frost and the Mail & Guardian.