BY VUKAYIBAMBE
The last 8 weeks have been the most tumultuous times in the newly installed ANC government of President Jacob Zuma. And it all started after a Sunday Times story about a child born out of wedlock between the President and one Sonono Khoza.
When I read the article on that Sunday morning I was shocked, disappointed, confused and angry. The shock came from the fact that this was totally unexpected. The disappointment was twofold. First I was disappointed at the President and secondly I was disappointed by the timing of the article.
It came shortly after the moderator of the World Economic Forum had ridiculed our President by asking him a silly question which was informed by the desire to undermine polygamy as an outdated if not disgraceful practice. So whoever was the source of the story was fighting the President because the alledged baby was born last year in October. And we all know who was the number one enemy of our President — that spiritual leader of COPE and members of his cult who make it their business to avenge the humiliation of their leader in Polokwane.
The journalist in me was asking the question — why publish now? The answer was clear — use the recent humiliation in Davos to provide ammunition in the campaign to discredit the President and the office he holds so that leaders of the world and the people of South Africa lose confidence in this man. This would be done a few weeks before the President delivers his state of the nation address.
My confusion stemmed from the Presidency’s response to the allegations. In one week we had two different statements. One was a defensive statement — outlining the fact that this was a private matter and highlighted the fact that the Sunday Times had violated the rights of the child in question. This seemed to be a reasonable response to me given the fact that the motive for publishing this story was suspicious — given its timing.
But the apology that came after this statement confused me and possibly millions of other people. It would have been better if the President and his advisers had chosen one route — apology or no apology — period. Doing both revealed a weakness in the coordination of communication in both the ANC and the Presidency. In this instance the ANC had the last word — at a great political cost to President Zuma. Basically, the organization put an ultimatum to its President and made him aware that any other scandal would not be acceptable.
After the state of the nation address, we witnessed COSATU starting to sing a different tune towards the president. This angered me because it seemed that COSATU was showing signs that its support for President Zuma was always conditional: we will support you if you push our line and policies. Unfortunately, this smacks of political opportunism. That is why when COSATU was sensing a president under attack they took the fight to him, with one COSATU affiliate, NUMSA, becoming very personal in their attack of the President. The same COSATU initiated a wave of strikes six months into Zuma’s Presidency. We were confused by this approach — it was the first sign that COSATU would use political blackmail to achieve narrow sectional ends.
In the final analysis — President Jacob Zuma has survived the first real attempt to discredit his presidency. The good thing that has come out of this sorry mess is that the ANC will become better for it. For one it has again demonstrated its ability to read a riot act to its leader. It has also given its leadership collective a wake up call that using political office for personal gain is not going to be tolerated. It has also made the president know COSATU’s motives better. The ANC is more united in its conviction to implement the Polokwane resolutions without undue pressure from its alliance partners.
President Zuma must pay attention to four things if his Presidency is to survive the next four years. Get rid of all COPE elements in the Party and Government structures in order to guard the leaking of sensitive information to the press. Relook at the capacity and expertise of support staff in the Presidency and coordinate their functions to complement those of the ANC. Thirdly, the President must crack the whip on those ANC members who do not follow the vision of the Party — working together we can do more on service delivery and the five priorities in the manifesto. Finally, the President must avoid scandal by being on the straight and narrow.
I am confident that we have not seen the best of this administration yet — the good signs for its success are there. South Africans will continue to support the ANC even at times when some dark forces are out to discredit and humiliate our leaders. We shall not desist from our cause to liberate ourselves economically and to transform the broader society by eradicating poverty, inequality and racism. And the ANC is the organization we have given the mandate to carry out this task. Amandla!
Vukayibambe blogs at Vukayibambe.
