SOUTH African politics, it has been said, is a different kettle of fish altogether and so the recidivism and savagery that has risen to such prominence in recent weeks should come as no surprise to the seasoned observer.
Dirty tricks and aggravated deceit are par for the course when our representatives hit the campaign trail and it seems only fitting that there should be gunfire from their henchmen and bodyguards when members of the ruling party attempt to convince the electorate that they have their best interests at heart.
But even the hardened regulars at the Mahogany Ridge have been stunned into disbelief at the level of grubbiness to which a callous and cynical Helen Zille has now sunk in her latest bid to win the support of the electorate.
In an open letter to President Jacob Zuma, the DA leader has cruelly challenged him to a televised debate on the state of the economy - particularly jobs.
"Today," she wrote, "there are 1.4 million more South Africans unemployed than the day you became President. This means, Mr President, that more than one out of every three South Africans is unemployed. These facts stand in stark contrast to the statements you have made on your administration's record of job creation and economic management. I believe very firmly that we should have an opportunity to openly debate these issues together, and to answer questions from the public directly."
Televised political debates between presidential candidates are, of course, an American innovation. The first took place on September 26, 1960, between Richard Nixon and John F Kennedy. The encounter - the first of four - boosted support for Kennedy, then a little-known Massachusetts senator, who would go on to win the White House.