‘Hehehe’ is his standard insult
A young matric pupil’s perspective of President Zuma
WHERE have we come? What have we done? What happened? Watching the State of the Nation Address last week made my heart ache.
I thought of those who died for this country. Those who were tortured and who gave up their families and their freedom.
For the ones who dedicated their lives to the nation and her people.
The once raised fists, that are now wrinkled and shaking, can do nothing to save the country they gave everything for.
The sound of riot police boots on tar echo from the 1970s to today.
The sting of pepper spray from the 1960s was felt again by those outside Parliament. Who will save us? Mmusi Maimane, the hero of suburbia?
Julius Malema, the vengeful, tax-evading, Range Rover-driving saviour of the workers? Or is it the youth? The privileged millennials, who are all applying to write their SATs?
Maybe it’s the student leaders, who have actually changed things in this country and hopefully will maintain their convictions of equality.
The decline of the South African political system is an insult to those who sacrificed everything for her and those who still believe in the South African dream of an equal and progressive country.
The anger and violence seen last week in Parliament is surely not the reflection of the dreams of those who built our nation on the principles of the Freedom Charter.
The raised fists of black power became punches thrown in both directions by the EFF and the Parliament security.
Cries of “Amandla” became aggressive shouts of “racist” and “sellout”.
All of this in the highest legislative institution of the land.
President Jacob Zuma, the once revered and charming MK negotiator, presides over the chaos of his country and all he is able to utter to us is “hehehe”.
He then delivered his final blow to the freedom fighters and declared 2017 the year of Oliver Tambo.
He used the name of a man of sacrifice, integrity and wisdom to propel his own selfish, greedy and uncaring campaign.
Zuma has skin that makes that of a rhino seem like tissue paper, no matter the insults, no matter the convictions and no matter that he has brought a country into turmoil, he will sit there and always bounce back with his signature insult, “hehehe”.
As much as I can disagree with the EFF and DA not showing respect, what else is there to be done?
How do opposing parties and people who disagree with the current rule make their opinions known?
Impeachment was a failure, with the so-called “divided” ANC uniting under a banner of Zuma will Stay.
Until the EFF began disrupting Parliament, there was very little attention paid to the Nkandla scandal.
One thing I can commend the EFF on, is their capacity for chaos and using their sensationalism to bring attention to the scandals that can easily be muffled under the layers of appropriate conduct and legal procedure. The DA is annoyingly righteous and disdainful, which is even more annoying considering Maimane’s ill-advised posing with Benjamin Netanyahu (who is in his own right, an apartheid architect). They were correct when John Steenhuizen said: “This man has broken South Africa, he has broken Parliament”.
However, Maimane’s comparison of Zuma to be worse that PW Botha is something I consider to be derogatory and untrue.
What do we do as our nation dissolves into anger and violence? Do we pack our bags and head for the greener-grassed Australia? Or do we stay and fight?
We may be naïve and young, but I am hoping that our convictions of freedom and justice, as the youth of South Africa, won’t let us flee but rather stay and fight, as those who came before us did.
I hope we present ourselves with the integrity, honour and passion of those who lived and died for us to be born free. It is our time.
Dhiya Pillay Matai Matric pupil at Roedean
School (SA)