ANC President, Jacob Zuma

Jacob Zuma, has had a very polarising effect amongst the South African population. You either love him or hate him, there is no in-between. Amongst the general population we see people who see this man as a threat to everything good and moral, and with good reason. Jacob Zuma hasn’t really had a good run in terms of his perception in public with his being known for his statements on HIV during his rape trial, in which he was acquitted, as well as his on-going corruption trial, which keeps on getting delayed due to various reasons.

That is only one side of the coin. Jacob Zuma also has a very strong support base which would kill for him, taking into account the recent comments by the leader of the ANC Youth League (ANCYL), Julius Malema as well as that of the Secretary General of COSATU (Congress of South African Trade Unions), Zwelinzima Vavi. Malema’s comments can be seen as appropriate given his youth and fire and need to be noticed within the ranks of the ANC which would undoubtedly affect his future career aspirations.

The same sentiments which were echoed by COSATU’s Zwelinzima Vavi can be seen in a different light, his reasoning and that of the whole of COSATU stems form their overwhelming support for Zuma throughout his sojourn in the limelight. The reason for his popularity amongst this group of people and many of its constituents is because of his revolutionary role during the struggle of Apartheid. Current Rape charges and corruption charges don’t really mean much in that light… in a way it seems they believe Jacob Zuma should be rewarded with the presidency for the part he played in the struggle.

ANCYL President, Julius Malema

As the president of the ANC, Zuma is already in a very powerful position and tipped to be the next president of South Africa should the ANC win the next election, which would seem very likely given the large support base the ANC has in South Africa. This success could, however, be jeopardised by the very poor service delivery of the ANC of late as well as reports of widespread corruption and other factors like rising crime and president Mbeki’s lack of action on many issues including Zimbabwe. Nevertheless, Zuma has been very vocal about his stance on a variety of issues which does put him on a better grounding than South Africa’s current president, Thabo Mbeki. If his vociferous statements on Zimbabwe and crime are anything to go by, I’d like to see them translated into action.

Back to the comments of Julius Malema, specifically those referring to the elimination of all the remnants of counter-revolution including the democratic alliance and those opposed to Jacob Zuma becoming South Africa’s next president. Ironically, this proposed “elimination” was mentioned at the funeral service of Thabo Moeketsi, the secretary of the Free State ANCYL.

Furthermore, what revolution is he indirectly referring to if he is mentioning counter-revolution? One would think all elements of revolution will have dissipated by now given South Africa’s 14 years into democracy. “Revolution” is a very strong word and tends to make one think of coup de tat’s and overturning of systems and bloodshed. The last word seems appropriate if we take Malema’s statements into account and in the current climate, as many south Africans have pointed out, is very very irresponsible. Xenophobic attacks and Mbeki’s fumbling around with Zimbabwe using his “quiet diplomacy” to do pretty much nothing make the environment in South Africa a little sensitive when it comes to making statements regarding the elimination and killing of anyone for any purpose. Very irresponsible indeed.

If this is the nature of Zuma’s support base and given his track record in government so far. The future looks a bit dodgy if this man comes to be the president of South Africa. Let’s pray it all works out… amidst all the other challenges we are already facing.