Healthy sign of democracy

Jacob Zuma and Helen Zille were two of the most powerful politicians in South Africa not even a decade ago. Now the future of both hangs by a thread.

Zuma, seemingly untouchable within the ANC and, indeed, a favourite among the country’s working-class voters, has been at the centre of a revolt of unprecedented proportions from inside his party and among erstwhile supporters.

Last Friday, a call by opposition parties to South Africans of all political persuasions to march to the Union Buildings in Pretoria to demand that he step down received overwhelming support. More than 100 000 answered that call.

Zuma is under more pressure than he has ever been, with the top six of the ANC’S national executive committee split over whether he should go or stay – and an increasing number of stalwarts of the party, including former presidents Thabo Mbeki and Kgalema Motlanthe, joining the calls for him to quit.

The moment of truth for Zuma could come as early as Wednesday when the Constitutional Court is likely to rule on whether voting in a no-confidence debate on the president should be by secret ballot. There is a strong belief that a secret ballot may well see him pushed out.

Meanwhile, Zille, for a long time also untouchable in the DA, has also become increasingly vulnerable. Credited with having built the party into a solid opposition – some would say a serious threat to the ANC in the 2019 elections – Zille’s penchant for unthinking posts on social media platfrom Twitter has landed her in trouble once too often.

A tweet that colonialism was not all bad has resulted in the leader of the party, Mmusi Maimane, laying a charge against her for bringing the party into disrepute. The charge was confirmed on Wednesday – and the feeling is that the DA is under pressure to take strong action against her.

The vulnerability of Zuma and Zille tells a story of its own: it says that South Africans have developed a healthy disrespect for leaders, especially politicians who are seen as corrupt, obstinate or who don’t think before they talk.

This can only be a good thing for our young democracy if handled with care by those in positions of power in the two organisations.

They need to remember that what they do in anger or haste will stay with them for a long time, while the reasons for their anger may dissipate.

Whatever transpires, they shouldn’t throw the good out with the bad.