Sunday Times

What they said in 2017

- Compiled by ANDREW UNSWORTH

Presidenti­ally speaking . . .

● “There should be consequenc­es for any member who acts and speaks contrary to the values, principles and political programme of the ANC.” — President Jacob Zuma in his final speech as ANC president last Saturday.

“There’s no parliament that’s captured, there’s no executive that’s captured. There’s only individual­s. But they’re always talking about state capture. That’s political propaganda.” — In an interview in November.

“You come with meandos, I answer with meandos.” — Zuma’s flummoxing response to DA leader Mmusi Maimane’s criticism of Social Developmen­t Minister Bathabile Dlamini, resulting in a flurry of definition­s of “meandos” on social media.

The presidenti­al race

● “There is no leader at the December elective conference that would emerge without signing a pact with the devil.” — Makhosi Khoza, former ANC member, now head of new party African Democratic Change.

“As a leader person, I know I have to be accountabl­e for what I do and what I say.” — Cyril Ramaphosa in May, clarifying his apology for the Marikana massacre.

Mugabegate

● “These are malicious allegation­s. I was protecting my sons. Miss Engels was drunk and unhinged and attacked me with a knife.” — Grace Mugabe defending her assault on Joburg model Gabrielle Engels in August.

“$60 000 on the wrist when your daddy run the whole country ya know.” — Chatunga Bellarmine Mugabe boasting about his Rolex on Instagram in November.

“Boo me. I don’t care. I have powers.” — Grace during a speech attacking Emmerson Mnangagwa in November, before Robert Mugabe was removed as president and Mnangagwa took over as leader of Zimbabwe.

The president’s keepers

● “It is truly bizarre to claim that people like Pravin Gordhan have used me to write a book in order to influence the outcome of the ANC conference . . . I have never met Mr Gordhan prior to the publishing of the book. Mr Moyane is most welcome to sue for defamation. He has destroyed SARS and I have devastatin­g evidence that I will submit to court — and it doesn’t come from Gordhan.” — Jacques Pauw, author of The President’s Keepers.

“People know they can’t discuss anything. They try not to sleep, reading the books, uh-huh, all the lies and speculatio­n and imaginatio­n of people. That’s become the politics, the politics to use here: ‘That is the book, you know! This is the book. Can you say no to this book.’ Jirrrrr. Novels! It is people who sit down and just think and compositio­n of people.” — Zuma in November, addressing the National Council of Provinces — where a delegate was conspicuou­sly reading The President’s Keepers.

The no-confidence debate

● “We are not here today to remove a democratic­ally elected ANC. We are here to remove Duduzane’s father, because Duduzane’s father is the most corrupt individual in this country.” — EFF leader Julius Malema. (Ordered to withdraw the comment, Malema responded: “I withdraw. I want to vote a crook out.”)

“There is a chill running down this parliament. It is seeking a spine.” — DA leader Mmusi Maimane

The great debate

● “If you come with some shenanigan­s of trying to disrupt, we will deal with your constipati­on that comes haphazardl­y.” — ANC national executive committee member Fikile Mbalula warning members to behave during the state of the nation address.

“To be honest, sometimes Zuma just feels like one big fake news on a website.” — Save South Africa convener Sipho Pityana ahead of the address.

“Mr Zuma, please leave. You don’t belong here. You are a constituti­onal delinquent.” — EFF MP Mbuyiseni Ndlozi.

“Madam Speaker, you need to do something about security guards who are carrying cable ties to tie up our members, and injections with biological weapons.” — EFF MP Floyd Shivambu.

“Madam Speaker, in English [Zuma] is called a scoundrel, in our mother tongue he is lemenemene.” — COPE’s Mosiuoa Lekota.

“This man has broken South Africa, he has broken parliament.” — The DA’s John Steenhuise­n.

“If we were abusing state power, people wouldn’t even know, by the way. When you abuse state power, you do it in such a manner that people can’t see through what you are doing.” — Defence Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula on the deployment of the army for the address.

“Look at them, jumping from their chairs like popcorn.” — UDM leader Bantu Holomisa.

“I was brought up in a different era. Respect is the key to our culture.” — IFP leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi, on why he did not walk out of parliament during the address.

“I realised, deeply and painfully, in watching this that I have come to a point where I refuse to be part of the intellectu­al funeral of the ANC, that I refuse to be associated with so-called leaders who trample on the people who voted them into office.” — Former ANC treasurer-general Mathews Phosa, writing after the debate.

Molefegate

● “Your appointmen­t as a member of parliament is living proof that the Zuma administra­tion does not punish corrupt conduct — it rewards it.” — Pityana, in an open letter to new MP Brian Molefe, former CEO of Eskom, in February.

“Where is that corrupt bastard?” — EFF MP Moses Mbatha when Molefe was introduced in the National Assembly.

“Speaker, I just want to know if true north has changed in this house. Because the immorality compass is pointing directly at honourable Molefe right now.” — COPE MP Deirdre Carter in the same assembly.

“I neither appointed nor reappointe­d Brian Molefe as Eskom CEO.” — Public Enterprise Minister Lynne Brown in May.

“If you want to connect the dots, connect all the dots and ask ourselves who did what where, in service of what cause, at the end of the day.” — Pravin Gordhan, at Brown’s briefing about Molefe’s employment record.

Hlaudi and cool

● “People believe that because Hlaudi is on the outside, he is not going to be able to change anything, but now that I am on the outside I am more dangerous than when I am within.” — Former SABC chief operating officer Hlaudi Motsoeneng in August.

Have Faith

● “Out of the people I’ve appointed, nine of them are my family and South Africans who deserved to be hired.” — Public Service and Administra­tion Minister Faith Muthambi in parliament in September. Her office subsequent­ly did an aboutturn, saying she actually said “none” were family members.

Not Harvey

● “Regardless of the extreme provocatio­n, I should have exercised restraint.” — Deputy higher education minister Mduduzi Manana, apologisin­g for assaulting three women at a Joburg nightclub in August. He resigned two weeks later.

Beefgate

● “I’m a musician, I make music. I’m not a tweleb. If I have something to say, it’ll be on my album.” — Cassper Nyovest on refusing to engage with rapper iFani on Twitter.

Weed the people

● “I have seen a lot of people smoke it and read and not have any problems. But I have never seen people drink alcohol and read books afterwards.” — Julius Malema on the dagga-legalisati­on debate.

AND IN OTHER PARTS . . .

● “Yes, we can. Yes, we did.” — Barack Obama in his farewell address as the 44th president of the US in January.

“Thank you.” — Obama’s reply when asked if he had any final words for the American people.

Trump Towers

● “This is thousands of times bigger, the United States, than the biggest company in the world.” — US President Donald Trump soon after taking office in January.

“Despite the constant negative press covfefe.” — This flummoxing tweet caused an internatio­nal covfefe in May.

“You’re in such good shape . . . She’s in such good physical shape.” — To Brigitte Macron, then to her husband, French President Emmanuel Macron, in July.

“Our military . . . cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgende­r in the military would entail.” — Tweeting on July 26.

“What a crowd, what a turnout.” — To survivors of Hurricane Harvey in Texas, August.

“It’s on an island in the middle of the ocean. It’s out in the ocean — you can’t just drive your trucks there from other states.” — Responding to the cyclone disaster on Puerto Rico in September.

“Nambia’s health system is increasing­ly self-sufficient.” — Speaking to

African leaders at the UN in September.

“The media is . . . really, the word, I think one of the greatest of all terms I’ve come up with . . . is ‘fake’. I guess other people have used it perhaps over the years, but I’ve never noticed it.” — In an interview in October.

“Why would Kim Jong-un insult me by calling me ‘old’ when I would NEVER call him ‘short and fat’?” —

Tweeting in November.

The Rohingya tragedy

● “As a responsibl­e member of the community of nations, Myanmar does not fear internatio­nal scrutiny.” — Aung San Suu Kyi in August in her first public speech about the attacks on Burma’s Rohingya Muslim minority that have left thousands dead and driven hundreds of thousands to Bangladesh.

“My dear sister, if the political price of your ascension to the highest office in Myanmar is your silence, the price is surely too steep.” — Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, in an open letter to Suu Kyi.

Weinsteing­ate

● “With respect to any women who have made allegation­s on the record, Mr Weinstein believes that all of these relationsh­ips were consensual.” — A spokeswoma­n for Harvey Weinstein, the Hollywood producer accused of multiple sexual assaults and sexual harassment.

“This has been part of our world, women’s world, since time immemorial. So what we need to start talking about is the crisis in masculinit­y, the crisis of extreme masculinit­y, which is this sort of behaviour and the fact that this is not only OK, but it also is represente­d by the most powerful man in the world at the moment.” — British actress Emma Thompson.

Whoops

● “And the Academy Award . . . for Best Picture . . . La La Land.” — Warren Beatty after being handed the incorrect Best Picture envelope at the Academy Awards in February.

“Moonlight, you guys won best picture. This is not a joke, come up here, Moonlight has won best picture.” — La La Land producer Jordan Horowitz calling the right team up to the stage after the mix-up was revealed.

Miss Universe

● “I think we should have equal work for equal pay for women all over the world.” — Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters, South African Miss Universe.

“If I had the opportunit­y to speak to a child, I will tell them that your generation and my generation, we cannot be full of weapons. Please, more books, more culture, more friendship­s, and more love.” — Laura González, Miss Colombia.

“Sexual harassment is a form of abuse and no abuse should be tolerated whether in the workplace or in society.” — Davina Bennett, Miss Jamaica.

Science

● “I don’t fart.” — Kim Kardashian on Jimmy Kimmel Live.

“How can people in Hollywood get any thinner? They have no intestines at all.” — Kathleen Turner this month.

And then there was Meghan . . .

● “The corgis took to her straight away. In the last 33 years I’ve been barked at. This one walks in, absolutely nothing, just wagging tails.” — Britain’s Prince Harry on the day he introduced fiancée Meghan Markle to his grandmothe­r Queen Elizabeth and her dogs.

“Whites talk too much against RET [radical economic transforma­tion], saying that we want to use it to loot. Who are they to talk about looting? They have been stealing ever since their arrival in this country. They stole our land.” — Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma

“Thank you South Africa. I feel proud to be a South African. Your love and support completes me.” — Caster Semenya on Twitter after she was named South African Sportswoma­n of 2017

“I came of age in the ’60s and ’70 when all the rules about behaviour and workplaces were different. That was the culture then.” — Harvey Weinstein

“I mean, you know we all like looking sexy, but it doesn’t mean we want to f**k you.” — Actress Cate Blanchett summing up women’s feelings about Harvey Weinstein at the InStyle awards in October

 ??  ?? Caster Semenya
Caster Semenya
 ?? Picture: Getty Images ?? Miss South Africa Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters, Miss Venezuela Keysi Sayago, Miss Thailand Maria Poonlertla­rp, Miss Jamaica Davina Bennett and Miss Colombia Laura González during the 2017 Miss Universe pageant in Las Vegas last month.
Picture: Getty Images Miss South Africa Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters, Miss Venezuela Keysi Sayago, Miss Thailand Maria Poonlertla­rp, Miss Jamaica Davina Bennett and Miss Colombia Laura González during the 2017 Miss Universe pageant in Las Vegas last month.
 ??  ??
 ??  ?? Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty reading the wrong winner at the Oscars in February.
Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty reading the wrong winner at the Oscars in February.
 ??  ?? Harvey Weinstein
Harvey Weinstein
 ??  ?? Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma
Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma

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