Time to go, Mr President
Chaotic Sona shows Jacob Zuma is inept
AS NEWS surfaced of Cyclone Dineo, later downgraded, destined for Mpumalanga, Limpopo and KwaZulu-Natal, I was reminded of a similar event three months ago.
It was last year, when a giant marquee where President Zuma was delivering his Reconciliation Day address in Zeerust was swept up by a freak storm.
The president had been speaking about the “painful and traumatic” Marikana massacre, and the government’s implementation of the Farlam Report, when the winds grew stronger and developed into a tornado-like disaster that rattled the marquee, forcing his army of bodyguards to whisk him away to safety.
Zuma escaped unscathed, but several people were injured.
That event has since been forgotten, but the significance of its symbolism lingers on. On the face of it, the near-disaster might have highlighted how Zuma has, in the face of the avalanche of scandals, entrenched himself as one of the greatest survivors in modern history.
There’s a flip side to the raging storm that had the president scurrying for cover. It could have highlighted Zuma’s emotional and mental turmoil because of his legal and political troubles, but more importantly, it pointed to darker days in the offing for South Africans under his leadership.
As Professor Tinyiko Maluleke rightly observed last week, after Zuma’s chaotic State of the Nation Address (Sona), “we are a leaderless nation marching confidently into the abyss”.
For all his exasperation with the upheavals in Parliament during his speech and with opposition MPs who “treat this august house like something worse than a beer hall”, Zuma would do well to take a moment to scrutinise his own conduct and speech.
You don’t need a second look to see that the government, under Zuma’s leadership, is lacking in focus and direction.
Compare, for instance, his speech this year with last year’s, when he was praised for announcing a raft of austerity measures aimed at cutting down on the runaway public expenditure bill.
Zuma, not known for financial literacy, appeared to have confounded expectations when he listed the fiscal belt-tightening measures to increase growth and put South Africa on a sound financial footing.
“Compatriots, we have made an undertaking to spend public funds wisely and cut wasteful expenditure, but without compromising on the core business of government and the provision of services to our people.
“Overseas trips will be curtailed and public officials requesting permission to travel will have to motivate strongly and prove benefit for the country. The sizes of delegations will be greatly reduced, and further restrictions on conferences, catering, entertainment and social functions will be instituted.
Pride
“Compatriots, we will go through a difficult period for a while, but when the economy recovers we will be proud of ourselves for having done the right thing.”
In a country where, in general, corruption and the embezzlement of public funds are a way of life, Zuma’s rigorous austerity measures resonated with many South Africans.
In his speech last week, however, not a single word was uttered about these measures. No update on how much the government had saved – nothing.
The Sona is an important event in any president’s calendar, and it is supposed to take stock of where the nation is and instil confidence about the future. Instead, Zuma lulled the nation with a threadbare, uninspiring speech packed with the stilted stuff we have become accustomed to.
There was, perhaps, nothing worth mentioning about government departments and municipalities together taking South Africa forward by cutting the waste and channelling the funds to the more pressing issues of skills development and job creation.
The ink had barely dried on last year’s speech when reports surfaced of how several municipalities had racked up millions on entertainment bills that far exceeded their income. It emerged, among others, that eThekwini municipality had planned to splurge R3.7 million for rap superstars TI’s and Nicki Minaj’s performances in Durban.
That came fresh after the uproar over reports that the council was sending a huge delegation on a three-day “cruise summit”.
But more disconcerting was that some departments and parastatals appear to have, since the pronouncement of the austerity measures, done the opposite, as evinced by their ongoing tussle with the Treasury over the control of the public purse.
This is the new year, so South Africans are now fed with the not-so-new populist slogan that is radical economic transformation. Why? It all seems convenient after the bruising local government elections, isn’t it? There’s pressure to bear from all political fronts, not so?
If anything, the real currency about radical economic transformation that the president and his comrades know, it seems, lies in self-aggrandisement.
Political analyst Ralph Mathekga thinks the shift to radical economic transformation indicates the glaring incoherences in Zuma’s speech, and by extension, the government’s programmes. “The shift in the language, from austerity measures to a populist expenditure in areas such as the economy, land and so forth, highlighted the tensions between government departments and the Treasury.”
He argues that austerity measuresare currency foreign to Zuma and most of his ministers. “So we can expect to see people (ministers) demanding to be given blank cheques and the president not doing anything to support and defend the Treasury. That is why you are going to see great deal of disparity between the Sona and the budget.”
The ANC often likes to say that criticism against it was driven by regime change agendas, but the groundswell of discontent sweeps within its own ranks.
Businessman and former national executive committee member Tokyo Sexwale was scathing about his comrades this week, warning them against abusing the names of the “selfless leaders” like Oliver Tambo and Nelson Mandela.
“People are stealing. From the lowest position to the highest office they are stealing. People are taking from the public pocket.
“Even the devil can quote the Bible. People quote these leaders‚ ‘Tambo said‚ Mandela said’. Don’t use their names‚ speak your own truth… ”
It was absurd to hear Zuma, in his response to opposition MPs, saying: “Our people elect members every five years to represent them in Parliament and to fulfil the tasks outlined in the constitution for the legislative arm of the State.”
But any righteous leader would know that the fault lines lie with him. Opposition parties are sending a clear message that they are doing it to defend and uphold the constitution. They are saying: “You, Mr President, are not worthy of that office because you violated the constitution.”
Political analyst Professor Lesiba Teffo believes the only way Zuma can redeem himself is resign, which would help the ANC salvage its waning popularity.
In this regard, the ANC might – in its fears that the party might self-destruct if they recall Msholozi – do well to remember what the Nationalist Party did to PW Botha when they realised he was no longer fit to govern. You have been a good leader, but it’s time to go!