NEWS: Mixed reactions to Zuma’s ‘good story’
Marikana, attacks cast shadow on rosy budget vote speech
PRESIDENT Jacob Zuma believes South Africa is doing well, that its fundamentals are in place, that its institutions are strong and that all aspects of the state are functioning effectively. Delivering his budget vote speech of almost an hour in parliament yesterday, Zuma repeatedly said the country had a good story to tell – a statement cheered loudly by the ANC and derided noisily from opposition benches.
But the ghost of the Marikana massacre haunted Zuma’s generally optimistic speech, with EFF MPs demanding the immediate release of the Farlam report into the massacre.
DA leader Mmusi Maimane agreed, saying the delays in releasing the report were unacceptable. “By withholding the report you are telling us lives of black workers are cheap,” he said.
Both Maimane and EFF MP Hlengiwe Maxon questioned who Zuma was protecting by withholding the report.
“Whose reputation matters more than the lives of miners?” Maimane asked.
Throughout Zuma’s speech, EFF MPs held up signs urging him to release the report.
Unmoved, Zuma confirmed he had received both the Farlam report and a briefing by the judge himself. Nevertheless, he has decided to only release the report at the end of next month, claiming he has to apply his mind to it.
Moving to more general matters, Zuma said he would appoint a new national planning committee shortly, to monitor progress on the national development plan. The first national planning commission was dissolved after it wrote the plan, which provided a blueprint of what South Africa should look like by 2030.
In a speech with a strongly Africanist tone, Zuma quoted the father of Pan-Africanism, Kwame Nkrumah, in saying: “Independence is only the prelude to a new and more involved struggle, for the right to conduct our own economic and social affairs; to construct our society according to our aspirations, unhampered by crushing and humiliating neo-colonialist controls and interference.”
He used Nkrumah’s vision to angle a strong message against xenophobia and violence.
“As we continue to transform and build our country, we have to go beyond bricks and mortar. We have to look at the human side of reconstruction and development as well and build the soul of our nation,” he said.
“We need to work together to build stronger and united communities, which uphold the values of respect for one another, tolerance and respect for the rights of others, especially the right to life and dignity.
“The brutality of the apartheid system which introduced a culture of violence may have eroded some of these values amongst some of our people.” Marikana, the recent attacks on foreign and African nationals, violent protests and violent crime indicated that “something is wrong in some sections of our society”.
“With regards to the attacks on foreign and African nationals, we have directed law enforcement agencies to bring the perpetrators to justice without delay . . . our country will not tolerate such behaviour.
“The South African people have demonstrat- ed to the world that they support peace, friendship and solidarity with their brothers and sisters from the continent. We have lived with fellow African nationals for decades without any problems, even during the period of apartheid colonialism . . .”
Zuma placed specific emphasis on the fight against drugs, promising to flex the full muscle of the state against the scourge.
He pointed out several indications that South Africa was moving in the right direction.
Life expectancy had grown from 51 to 62 years from 2005 to 2013; South Africa’s banking and auditing systems were among the best in the world; and infrastructure and property rights were other aspects in which respected international indices showed it to be strong.