Ouster of Jacob Zuma
The recent forced resignation of President Jacob Zuma of South Africa by his own party, African National Congress (ANC) has thrown up many issues and raised questions about the future; and taken together with a similar event in Zimbabwe, South Africa’s neighbour, many Africans are starting to see a pattern – however faintly – beginning to assert itself in Africa. Mr. Zuma was accused of nepotism, corruption and deliberate decimation of the criminal justice system in South Africa, killing business confidence and stymieing foreign investment.
While in power, he shouldered the dubious record of taking his country back to the apartheid era – to 1985 - in terms of its financial standing. That was the days of the cantankerous PW Botha whose refusal to implement racial reforms caused American banks to balk at rolling over South Africa’s external debt in the mid-1980s, which caused financial problems, which doomed white rule, which forced Botha to give power to FW de Klerk who freed Nelson Mandela and unbanned ANC.
Mandela used ANC as a vehicle for reform and national healing and handed over to Thabo Mbeki after only one term. Before Zuma took over from Mbeki however, Mbeki had reason to fire him for corruption related offences in 2005. But the party brought Zuma back and made him party leader and then president in 2009. Therefore, Zuma’s change of fortunes isn’t at all surprising. What is surprising was how he insisted in dealing with the Gupta brothers (Atul, Rajesh and Ajay) in what the South Africans call “State Capture” where state resources are corruptly shared by individuals. In 1993, Shiv Gupta, a successful spices businessman, sent his 23-year old son to Johannesburg to see the opportunities opening up in the new administration. They subsequently got a contract to supply computers but later moved to mining and other businesses. But their biggest business was Jacob Zuma. The brothers were quite influential and installed their cronies in powerful positions in government. They also influenced the firing of cabinet members who refused to do their bidding. Zuma’s son Duduzane and his twin sister were said to be on the payroll of the Guptas.
Among many corruption allegations against Zuma was an official report which found him culpable in misappropriating up to 19 million pounds sterling on security upgrades at his Nkandla homestead in KwaZulu-Natal. For this reason and others, last April, thousands of South Africans marched on the streets asking for Jacob Zuma’s resignation. Instead of answering that call, Zuma, seeing that he’s banned from seeking a third term tried to install his former wife to succeed him.
A couple of things could be unpacked from Zuma’s resignation and the subsequent swearing in of Cyril Ramaphosa as South Africa’s president. One, if the distraction that was the Zuma presidency has demonstrated anything, it is the appearance that South Africa took a step backward from the hopeful years of Nelson Mandela and Thabo Mbeki when the country looked more respectable and credible. Which is actually interesting because ANC forced Mbeki out and brought in Zuma despite his poor record on corruption. Which lends credence to charges of some South Africans that the party is the problem, not the leaders.
Two, there are striking parallels between Zuma and Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe. Both overreached. Jacob Zuma wanted his former wife Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma to succeed him as the leader of the ruling African National Congress and Mugabe also wanted his 52-year-old wife Grace to replace him. Both failed. What is remarkable in all this is the fact that they both over estimated their power and influence and therefore overstayed their welcome. Fortunately, this tendency is beginning to lose accommodation in Africa.
Three, the country must look to the future. The question many people are asking is if Cyril Ramaphosa is going to be any different. Cyril Ramaphosa led black mining unions during apartheid and grew very rich through ANC black empowerment policies. He is articulate and appears to know what he is doing. But will he fight corruption and break from the ignoble mismanagement of the recent past?