Russia sycophant Zuma denies Soviet past at SA’s peril
Having grown up in Poland in the days when the monolithic USSR ruled Eastern Europe with an iron fist, the latest utterances by President Jacob Zuma about all those who do not support the nuclear project having been captured by the West, and his commitment to a partnership with Russia, should terrify every South African.
Zuma praised Russia for its help in fighting apartheid, conveniently omitting the role played by trade, military and sports sanctions imposed by western nations, the boycotts by institutions around the world and the pressure brought to bear by activists. I guess this does not work so well alongside the “white monopoly capital” slogan.
As far as Russia is concerned, my childhood memory is one of Russia intervening in governing Poland, stripping the country of its natural resources and exercising an almost military control over the entire population of a country that was not even formally part of the USSR.
Eventually, the system of exploitation bankrupted Poland, leading to civil uprisings that toppled the government. But not before Poles had suffered tremendous hardship, with food shortages, activists and journalists jailed, restrictions on the movement of people and martial law being declared.
I have yet to see a country where Russia’s intervention or interference has been a positive for the economy or its people.
The fact that Zuma wants to commit SA to a Russian partnership and years of unnecessary expenditure estimated at R1-trillion, at a time when his own finance minister tells him the coffers are bare, is chilling. Never mind the flagrant breaches of any formal procurement processes or tenders. And our Constitution.
It is true that in the mediumterm budget policy statement, the finance minister threw his hands up in the air and passed the baton for deciding on expenditure priorities to the Presidency. However, this does not mean Zuma can force the nuclear project through without following due process. Any such attempt will be challenged in court once again.
The power of the courts was best demonstrated by the High Court in Cape Town ruling earlier in 2017 setting aside nuclear intergovernmental agreements with the US, Russia and South Korea, as well as the appointment of Eskom as the procuring agent. The court also ruled that any request for proposals for a nuclear newbuild by Eskom before finalisation of an Integrated Energy Plan and updated Integrated Resource Plan for electricity was irrational.
Hence a nuclear project, despite all the presidential and ministerial hype, is unlikely to succeed. And yet Zuma presses ahead. Should we not, as a country, ask “why” in a more forceful manner? Given all the controversy swirling around Zuma, I was recently asked what I would ask him if I had the opportunity.
The words came easily: Mr President, you spent your youth fighting to free SA from the shackles of apartheid. You spent 10 years on Robben Island in enormous hardship.
During that time, you were exposed to the wisdom and compassion of Nelson Mandela. You clearly, at one time, believed in the principles of a free and fair society. When did this change? What made you give up your core beliefs? What made you willing to ensnare SA in another form of oppression, institutional corruption? How do you look in the eyes of the community you come from, your fellow activists and your family and feel proud of what you have achieved in the past decade?
Perhaps you do not care. Perhaps those years of hardship have killed off the basic human emotion of empathy. But care you should because history and SA will judge you harshly.