The charming, humble and amiable Pres Zuma

Jacob Zuma has never been a man who aroused any pride in me as a citizen of this country; nor has he inspired much confidence in me to impose the trust of leadership on his shoulders. There are those who without a degree of hesitation would give an arm on his behalf; driven by their unwavering belief and confidence in him as a model of a great leader; anointed by the masses to lead them to their promised land. My impression of him was somewhat altered, though not to a greater degree, during his election by the National Assembly as the fourth president of the republic. He delivered before the newly sworn-in members of Parliament what appeared to be a measured speech and he appeared to display rare virtues of compassion, humour and humility, which are not equally distributed among political leaders. His conciliatory message in particular to the Inkatha Freedom Party and willingness to work with the opposition was encouraging and laid a good foundation for relations among all parties and members of the National Assembly. It is what we as a country need going forward into the future together.

Great leaders are almost always made by events that shape the course of history and often out of such historic events have emerged leaders who we have wished to erase from our collective memory. The self-inflicted trials and tribulations of Zuma should be an instructive lesson to him and those around him on the importance of good judgment and fortitude of character. Though wisdom is not shared equally among all of us, we are all at least endowed with the competence to distinguish between right and wrong and equally conduct ourselves in a manner not demanding of judicial reprimand. Political leaders are not known for their sincerity; rather for speaking with forked tongues and playing to the whims of their audience. Our president-elect has a consistent record of ingratiating himself to his audience by saying all the right things and what they need to hear; mesmerising them with humility and charm; delivering on none of the flowery promises.

What could have been the most beautiful speech before newly sworn-in members of Parliament was spoiled when Zuma decided to take unbecoming jibes at the former president, Thabo Mbeki. He said, “I left rather unceremoniously on the 14th of June 2005, without an opportunity to say goodbye to all my friends”. You will recall that Judge Hilary Squires delivered his judgment on the criminal matter relating to Schabir Shaik on 31 May 2005; a judgment which one would have expected a person in Zuma’s position to immediately appreciate the consequences thereof. Subsequent to the Squires judgment, which implicated Zuma of criminal wrongdoing, there were several discussions within the ANC about his future in government. When the then president, Mbeki, stood before a special joint sitting of Parliament to inform the nation of reasons for the release of Zuma as deputy president, it should not have come as a shock or surprise to him. It was rather disingenuous of him to stand before the National Assembly and claim that his departure was sudden and without concern for politeness.

Zuma went on to release a statement after he was sacked saying: “I believe he (Mbeki) has taken this decision not because he believes I am guilty of any crime, but because of considerations relating to the constraints within which government operates. In light of this decision, I have also offered to resign my seat in Parliament, not as an admission of guilt of any kind, but in order to make it easier for the ANC and government to function in Parliament.”

This is the statement of the man who then fully understood the gravity of the Squires judgment and its implications for him as a senior member of the Executive enjoined by the Constitution to “uphold, defend and respect the Constitution as the supreme law of the republic; and promote the unity of the nation and that which will advance the republic”. He cannot and should not today play victim of circumstances and absurd political mechanisations and plead ignorance to the true progression of events prior to his dismissal.

The message of reconciliation extended to the opposition parties lost the significance of its meaning when it became apparent that the president-elect still harboured deep-seated and personal grudges against his predecessor. As the incoming president of the republic our expectations of him is to unify the country towards achieving our common goals and to breed peace and harmony among all men and women of South Africa. How sincere is his message of reconciliation when he has not made peace with Mbeki? How humble and gracious was he when he failed to acknowledge the work done by the former president in the last 15 years; work which he admitted to have been impressive.

In his 22 September 2008 statement, after Mbeki had been recalled, Zuma said: “The achievements of government during Comrade Mbeki’s presidency are impressive. The ANC government has created conditions for a sustained expansion of the South African economy since the Second World War with the rate of growth averaging over 4.5% a year since 2004. Government also scored several gains in the social arena such as increasing access to housing, water, education, electricity and other basic services. Comrade Mbeki also succeeded in placing Africa in the forefront of international debates. He made his mark in promoting an African renewal as well as South-South cooperation, between our country and the developing world. In addition, our country made history as we joined the UN Security Council as a non-permanent member. The Mbeki administration, building on the legacy of our icon, president Nelson Mandela, has definitely created a strong foundation for the ANC to successfully contest next year’s elections.”

Indeed, the achievement of the Mbeki administration propelled the ANC under Zuma to a decisive victory in the general elections of 2009. How then does a president-elect who is committed to working together with the rest of us in building a better South Africa fail to pay tribute to a man he once called “a comrade, friend and brother”? It is important to remember that in 2005, both Mbeki and Zuma demonstrated commitment towards unity of the ANC when they released a joint statement, wherein they distanced themselves from the scourge of factionalism that was beginning to entrench itself in their movement. Even the Cosatu secretary-general, Zwelinzima Vavi, at the time came out in rare support of unity and civility within the tripartite alliance. He said, “We need to respect Mbeki just like we respect Zuma, which means that the anti-Mbeki songs (at Cosatu and ANC mass gatherings) must stop”.

Zuma had condoned hooliganism that almost took the country to the precipice of anarchy as he saw himself a victim of some political mechanisation and an ordained candidate for the position of president of the country. All this served to plant the seed of disunity within the ANC, which he manipulated to serve his own personal ambitions. Mbeki reiterated in his affidavit to the Constitutional Court that Zuma, at the time he was fired, had accepted and understood the basis of his release. He subsequently, out of his own volition, resigned from all ANC structures in order to attend to his legal woes. In his statement on 14 July 2005, after his release from office, he said: “I have not been given an opportunity in an appropriate forum to defend myself against the allegations made … I need to be given an opportunity to tell my side of the story, and bring finality to these accusations and speculations.”

He further released a statement after being charged saying: “I have noted the decision by the National Director for Public Prosecutions, Adv Vusi Pikoli, to prefer charges against me, which he communicated to me this afternoon, 20 June 2005. I welcome this decision as it affords me an opportunity to respond to, and clarify the allegations that have been made against me over a period of time.”

Yet we have continuously heard him, while attempting to evade justice, claim he had never asked for his day in court. This is the same man who in 2001 issued a statement proclaiming that he harboured no presidential ambitions, then a few years later alleged a political conspiracy intended to prevent him from ascending to power; allegations he repeated in his submissions to the courts during his attempts to quash criminal charges. Surely, this is a man who is not entirely honest with us.

That Zuma is charming, humble and amiable is incontestable. In Matthew 23:12, Jesus says, “…whoever humbles himself will be exalted”. The nature of con artists is that they have a good understanding of human psychology. They know very well that being themselves and revealing their true intentions would be bad for “business”. Con artists are charming, humble and amiable. Scheming politicians have equally perfected the art of winning the trust of the public, getting them to lower their guard against their artistry. Behind all the pageantry of the Union Buildings is nothing more than a cabal of con artists standing ready to seduce us into submission. Nothing in Zuma’s history and conduct perfectly reconciles with all the beautiful expressions of his intention for the government. We hope for an exemplary leadership and a better future and we will expect nothing less from Zuma as president of the republic.