Jacob Zuma under pressure
February 13, 2015
There were armed police in the chamber. Mobile phone reception was jammed so that journalists couldn't deliver their stories. Then there was an opposition politician who wouldn't let the president speak. The president, as well being bereft of sound government policies, couldn't even find the right words to extricate himself from the debacle.
The chaos that enveloped the State of the Nation address, which President Jacob Zuma delivered in Cape Town on Thursday (12.02.2015) showed that all is not well with South Africa's democracy.
It is simply shameful that President Jacob Zuma and noisy populist Julius Malema are trampling underfoot the legacy of democratic rule for which Nelson Mandela fought in his lifetime. Zuma and Malema were acting out of incompetence, egotism and thirst for power.
When Zuma announced after Thursday's spectacle that tougher action should be taken against those who disrupt parliamentary business, he revealed yet again that he is neither willing nor able to comprehend South Africa's problems.
Obviously, it is unpleasant when someone like Julius Malema interrupts a speech to the nation because he feels it politically expedient to do so. But is it really necessary to jam mobile phone reception and stop journalists from doing their work? Or to send armed police into the chamber? Such methods are reminiscent of the darkest days of apartheid against which Jacob Zuma himself fought and campaigned. Such tactics also don't solve the country's problems.
It is a reflection on Jacob Zuma himself that Julius Malema is able to openly challenge him during a State of the Nation address. Zuma - upon whom the cares of high office do not weigh lightly - has attracted media attention for two reasons: his relationships with women and government scandals, such as the use of taxpayers' money for improvements to his private residence.
He has failed to address South Africa's most pressing problems - poverty, the energy crisis, high youth unemployment and the huge gap between rich and poor. Zuma's inaction has made impoverished South Africans turn to Malema. They are fed up with the indolence, corruption and arrogance of the ruling ANC.
Yet apart from rhetoric directed against the white population and calls for the confiscation of the assets of the rich, Malema has little or nothing to offer the electorate. The ascent to power of the former ANC member and leader of its youth wing would not make South Africa a country in which justice prevails and where citizens can live in dignity irrespective of the color of their skin. Democracy is of little interest to Malema, who, incidentally, regards Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe as a role model. He preaches taking money away from the wealthy while wearing Louis Vuitton shoes. Malema just wants money, power and influence.
If Jacob Zuma wishes to preserve the legacy of Nelson Mandela and outmaneuver Julius Malema, then he has two options. Either he can unveil comprehensive anti-poverty measures so the poorer sections of the population can finally benefit from the nation's wealth. Or he can step down and make way for somebody who is better fitted for high office. Either way - one would wish to call out to him: "Do something, Jacob Zuma!"