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Jacob Zuma is on his way out

Posted: February 15th, 2010 | By Ray Hartley


JACOB Zuma is coming under severe pressure of the sort not seen since he turned the screws on his predecessor, Thabo Mbeki.
By now the taint of scandal over his latest child out of wedlock ought to have lifted.
Zuma should be sailing in blue water after once more demonstrating to the nation his power to reach out, to unite and to bring a fresh approach to government in his State of the Nation address.
Instead he is still wading in the treacle and he appears unable to staunch the wounds his image has suffered.
The truth is that Zuma’s address was the weakest by a president in post-apartheid South Africa.
Aside from promising that teachers would be prepared for lessons (apparently we should thank him for this) and that Cabinet Ministers would have to sign “performance agreements” at some undefined time in the future, the address contained absolutely no new ideas.
Neither business nor labour were impressed with his jobs pronouncements, which rung hollow.
The nation tuned out and the chatter about his poor moral compass continued to dominate.
Zuma’s inability to summon his national reconciliation mojo, even as Nelson Mandela handed him a golden opportunity to do so by attending the speech, signalled the beginning of the end of his presidency.
The only reason the myriad factions of the ANC and the broad left have tolerated Zuma is because he offers the veneer of unity that voters demand of their leaders in this country.
Without that, he is just another bumbling philanderer.
There can be no doubt that talk within the alliance has turned to who will replace Zuma after his first term. Let’s hope that this time they make the right choice.

  
 
 

Comments

 

Johan Swarts

February 15, 2010 at 3:58 pm

I think you are being a tad harsh on the president. In all fairness – he inherited an extremely broken system. The job losses, for example, isn’t really his or his cabinet’s fault; we are currently paying dearly for the blunders of the Mbeki-regime.

 

Larry Goodfella

February 15, 2010 at 4:36 pm

Almost Ray.

“The only reason the myriad factions of the ANC and the broad left have tolerated Zuma is because…” many hope to gain wealth and positions of power from his patronage, while others are too egoistical to admit that they and the ANC made a monumental boo-boo by endorsing Zuma for president.

Rather get behind the fool than stick a knife in your own neck.

 

Zanu PF for Life / Nkosinathi Khanyile

February 15, 2010 at 6:13 pm

I am a strong member of the ANC, but would prefer another candidate for presidency next time around.

 

Larry Goodfella

February 15, 2010 at 6:40 pm

Why wait Nkosi? Zuma can only stuff your ANC up more.

Wait, what am I saying; – a failing ANC is a good thing.

Problem is that the country is also being stuffed up in the process. So the ANC must do the right thing for the country and grow a pair of bollocks.

 

James

February 15, 2010 at 9:51 pm

It is people like you who actually help the ANC to gain support. Pointing an error is one thing but launching personal attack is another. You’re putting people in a defensive mode and when they adopt that stance I can assure you ANC will always win.Our past is not that good and people are sensitive when it comes to personal attack along racial lines. Helen Zille has just defended someone who had an extra-marital affair and said it’s a private matter, no noise was made about that. That proves the double standards that you’re adopting and people are not stupid, they take note and they don’t forget, nothing wrong with fair criticism but don’t go overboard.

 

Larry Goodfella

February 16, 2010 at 4:51 am

James, there is a massive difference between the president and his bad behavior, and an ordinary citizen’s bad behavior. Lennit Max is practically an ordinary citizen of this country by comparison.

If you cannot see the difference then it is just you who is stupid. Overly sensitive people must get over themselves and do the right thing, because it is right and not because it is black or white.

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