Zuma ignores elephant in room
Seemingly unfazed by calls for him to be jailed for defying the Constitutional Court, former president Jacob Zuma says there is more tea to be had by those who visit him in Nkandla.
Addressing a virtual ANC dialogue on social cohesion and nation building yesterday, Zuma stressed the need to address the issue of foreigners being employed ahead of South Africans in the hospitality industry, saying unemployment was rife in SA, especially among the youth.
The ANC had not addressed this because it did not want to be branded as xenophobic or ungrateful to the African countries that helped it during the fight against apartheid.
While he touched on many issues, including the bickering, swearing and fighting in parliament, which he said gave an impression that social cohesion was not possible in SA, he avoided the elephant in the room his refusal to appear before the state capture commission as ordered by the Constitutional Court.
He also did not divulge what he had discussed with EFF leader Julius Malema and police minister Bheki Cele when they visited him at his Nkandla home.
But when dialogue chair Jeff Radebe made a tea joke, Zuma said there was still plenty of tea to be had by those who visited him in Nkandla.
The uMkhonto weSizwe Military Veterans have been camping outside Zuma’s home since last week to “protect him” against being arrested as the state capture commission chair, deputy chief justice Raymond Zondo, has said he will ask the Constitutional Court to impose a jail sentence on Zuma for his failure to appear before him.
Zuma took a swipe at parliament, saying it was destructive and not contributing to nation building.
“They do not give the impression that social cohesion is possible,” he said.
“Communities become disillusioned when they see the hostility between political parties out there.
“What leaders project in action is important and the ANC needs to reflect on this matter.”
The disruption of proceedings in parliament started under Zuma’s presidency when the EFF demanded he step down over the Nkandla home upgrade saga.
A respondent, Prof Steven Friedman, said the term social cohesion was just another catchphrase adopted by the ANC without fully unpacking what it meant and cautioned that a minority of white South Africans would not just buy into the slogan because it was what the majority wanted.
The panel consisted of Zuma, Dr Abba Omar and Lindiwe Maseko. Friedman and Dr Thozama April responded to the opening statements made by the panellists.
Zuma said MPs had failed citizens by having fewer discussions and more fighting.
“There’s always a better way of handling that matter than what government has done so far,” he said.
“There’s less content in that discussion. That debate is not there in parliament and they’re not representing the citizens and their hopes of what they want done.
“Those who elect these people aren’t strict enough and ‘saying you’re not doing what we elected you to do’.
“That will go a long way in implementing and creating social cohesion. People think they’re just there to fight.
“The correction of that lies with the voters,” Zuma said.
Friedman, however, was not convinced that social cohesion in SA was possible.
“It’s understandable for social cohesion to be popular in SA,” he said.
“We come from a divided history.
“Apartheid oppressed people by harping on invented differences in which a small group at the top defined what those differences were.
“The problem is how would those differences go and at whose expense?
“The majority of white South Africans will not want to buy into the kind of social cohesion the ANC wants.
“We need a strategy with how to deal with racially inherited power.
“I don’t believe change will simply be imposed on people but negotiated,” he said.
April said the ANC still had a long way to go if it wanted social cohesion.