Zapping the president and other dangerous activities

By now most of us have heard about Chumani Maxwele and his inability to keep that middle finger down. He was arrested and allegedly held for 24 hours because of swearing and making “rude” gestures at the presidential cavalcade last week.

Basically he’s been arrested for something that many people want to do, talk about doing and actually do do when they get the chance driving through Newlands at night. Even the opposition is doing it, and they’re being suspended too. The comments from the opposition parties are that it smarts of a police state. It makes South Africa a place where you can’t express yourself without fear of arrest.

Indeed it is! How ridiculous that you can’t be angry at your president for his failure to deliver the goods that he promised when he was inducted. I’m angry. Many of us are angry and would probably like the chance to tell Zuma how he’s let us down.

I feel like it would take a lot of holding back on my part to keep calm if I were to talk with him. Would I be swearing though? Or flipping him the bird Top Gun style? In private and in my head, probably, but in person probably not.

The thing is that I don’t want that “probably not” to be because I’m afraid of being arrested, having a bag put over my head and dropped on some lawn in the presidential estate. I want it to be because of respect for the president and for myself.

Unfortunately, it’s really hard to respect someone who hasn’t earned it, which is why I don’t think I’m ready to meet with him just yet.