PRESIDENT ZUMA : Education 101

This morning I discovered splashed across the The Times : Mugabe tears into Zuma. I guess this isn't much of a shocker. Uncle Bob has torn into many a fine statesmen before. Indeed he has even done this at the UN, the result being many mass walk-outs. The amazing thing was the presidencies response. He fired Lindiwe Zulu. A certain political analyst suggested it was because Zuma was walking the mediation tight rope, in case there is problems with the election, then Pres. Zuma can mediate effectively. Also SADC has given mediation powers to Pres Zuma alone. As true as that is, my question here is, for how long will, our 

South African government and/or presidents continue to cow-tow to this man? Is it not about time someone told him something? Lindiwe Zulu did and she was quickly removed out of the way, even though the previous week the media and a few politicians had been singing her praises: specifically about her rise in the ANC ranks and her having the presidents close ear.

What information does Robert Mugabe have on the ANC and our presidents that he continues to insult us, to the very end? Is it something that he learnt during his time at Forthare? Maybe I am just being paranoid and it is just a common neighbourliness that we South Africans have for our Zimbabwe brothers and sisters. But we have never heard any of our presidents, since 1994 anyway, lambaste or insult any leader from any country, anywhere. Yet we must continue to turn the other cheek when Mugabe goes on one his rants. Is it, perhaps, that Pres. Zuma doesn’t have a moral leg to stand on if he was to confront Pres. Mugabe? Maybe he is afraid that Pres. Mugabe will air his (Pres. Zuma’s) dirty laundry out in the open, as he is often fond of doing. I suppose this is the same situation that our leader finds himself in. Where, it is often difficult, to fire a corrupt or inefficient minister, mayor, councilor or MP. It is not easy for Mr Zuma to do these sorts of things when he himself has been in the middle of the worst scandals this country has ever seen. The Bible says: “He who is without sin should cast the 1^st stone”. The reality is that on some or other level we are all sinners, but the grading is different when you are in public office. You work for the people, not they for you. It is not a monarchy. Accountability should be your staple diet when you hold the highest office in the land. But no, not our “supreme leader”, according to him he owes us the people absolutely nothing. He doesn’t even have to answer our questions if he doesn’t feel like it. What then are learning from comrade JZ?

When we look back years from now, what lessons will we say that he taught us with authority. Is there anything we can pass down to our children? In light of us celebrating Nelson Mandela’s 95^th birthday, and we celebrating what he has meant to and still means to South Africans and humanity and a whole, what do I tell my nephew or niece or son (in future) if he or she asks why there is a shower on almost all Mr. Zuma’s cartoons or caricatures? Perhaps it us who are not listening to his lessons, and in actuality he is teaching us to take what we can no matter the cost to anyone for the end is coming. I wonder if the next president of our land will want to out-do Mr. Zuma and go for a R500 million rand house, just because he can.

President Zuma can only be described as a malignant cancer on the South African nation and society. He, together with many of his comrades in power, need to be cut out and removed. Sadly this probably won’t happen for a long time as we have yet to have an effective opposition party in this country of ours.

Until then the president can continue to teach, I just prefer to continue bunking class.