Is Jacob Zuma really the champion of the poor?

While much has been made of Jacob Zuma’s stature — and in particular his championing of the poor and oppressed — I, as a result of my ignorance of factors on the ground, would like to make a few observations and ask some questions.

First of all, there is no doubting the ANC president’s charm and charisma — to call him larger than life is an understatement. He is undoubtedly a self-made man who rose up through the ANC ranks and played a significant role in ending apartheid and the potential conflict in KwaZulu-Natal.

Secondly, he is by far the most popular politician in South Africa today. His showing at Polokwane begs no questions.

Thirdly, as part of the government and in terms of being deputy president, he played his part in the transformation of South Africa.

This, however, leads me to my first question or request: at that point — that is, prior to his sacking — there was nothing to suggest any great leftward leaning on his part, as far as I could make out. Moreover, as far as I could see, there weren’t any great programmes on upliftment being chaired or promoted by our then deputy president. It was pretty much go with the flow.

Could anyone enlighten me on any programmes for the poor that were initiated or promoted by Zuma?

In my reading of Zuma, at that time he was centrist with a definite leaning towards capitalism and a free-market economy.

Fourthly, while JZ has the common touch and appears to draw support from townships and poor rural areas, what has he actually done in terms of uplifting people from these regions?

The ANC has undoubtedly made inroads on poverty and begun uplifting the poor of our country. However, the suggestion at Polokwane, despite President Mbeki’s confirmation of the gains made and the proposals going forward, was that the pace was far too slow.

Perhaps someone can tell us what part the ANC president played, as deputy president or beyond, in making inroads into this issue and accelerating progress.

The reason why I’m asking is because when it comes to championing the plight of the poor, I have my own heroes and JZ is certainly not one of them.

If I look at just one example, then Cosatu general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi and the work he does for the labour and masses of our country would fall under my definition of a champion of the poor.

When Zimbabwe was in the throes of “quiet diplomacy” and its poor, suffering people abandoned to Uncle Bob and his henchmen, who was there telling them their fortune and getting thrown out of Zim? Cosatu, if my memory serves me right.

(Speaking of which, I wonder if anyone is going to say something about Uncle Bob and his “reforms”. As soon as the MDC tries to hold a rally, Bob’s your tyrant, the thugs arrest Morgan Tsvangirai:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/ world/africa/article3241192.ece

http://www.mg.co.za/articlePage.aspx?articleid=330457 &area=/breaking_news/ breaking_news__africa/

http://www.reuters.com/article/reutersEdge/idUSL156923120080124?rpc=401& feedType=RSS&feedName=reutersEdge&rpc=401

So no change there.)

In fact, if I haven’t totally succumbed to Alzheimer’s, was it not the SACP and Cosatu who rallied around JZ when he was sacked two years ago? The sacking purportedly had to do with business dealings gone awry rather than any failure to attend Cabinet meetings because he was attending left-wing rallies or handing out food parcels.

Is it not really a case of the ideology being fitted on to a powerful and charismatic leader rather than any real ideological shift on this leader’s part? Time will tell.

Bottom line is that the poor of this country have been shafted over and over again — just one crucial example being the price of bread. First we had the price-fixing scandal, followed by the meagre fine, then the steep price increase and finally the revelation that bread is being sold underweight.

This is the staple for millions of our people and yet the response has been more of a whimper than a bang.

If we are going to really start talking about being champions of the poor, then let’s hear about and see the kind of response this disgraceful conduct warrants.

If you’re worried about our power problem, then give some thought, while you’re there sitting in the dark, to people who are starving with no prospect of any light being shed on their problems any time soon.

It’s one thing to style JZ as a champion of the poor and oppressed and another to deliver on the promises that were made at Polokwane. I hope that he proves to be everything that we have been told, because many millions of people will be touched by the results of his endeavours.

I hate Schadenfreude; it’s a nasty trait that requires that millions of helpless people suffer to prove someone’s miserable little point. Even if JZ is not (yet) the champion of the poor, let us pray that he warms to the task and proves that an optimist with charm, even where he is misguided, can achieve more than an intelligent, well-meaning pessimist.

Readers, please note that no editors were harmed or injured in the drafting of this article