Well another Shaik, Mo Shaik to be precise, was in the news this week. According to the Sunday Times, Mo Shaik plagiarised his way to a post-graduate tertiary institution qualification. I can’t say I’m surprised by this; well his brother is Schabir and is in prison right now for fraud and other related crimes. However, what is interesting is that this family is one of Jacob Zuma’s biggest supporters. Potentially the future president of the Republic has some interesting friends. The same could be said of the currently suspended SAPS Police Commissioner Jackie Selebi who shared many a meal with organised criminals. Jacob Zuma’s much documented and publicised business and personal relationship with Schabir Shaik has been a huge thorn in the Zuma for National President Campaign’s backside. His enemies are hoping that his ‘corrupt’ (according to the Judge who convicted Shaik) relationship with Schabir Shaik will prevent him from taking up the National Presidency early next year. These must be worrying times for Zuma or are they?

All he needs to do is Just Shaik it up! That is to say he should Shaik it Up again! Shaiking it up is the ability to continually win public support in the midst of continued negative press and scandal surrounding you or your name. Jacob Zuma was elected president of the most powerful and dominant political party in South Africa after being acquitted from rape charges, indirect corruption trial and being fired from the government. This man has many political lives, he maybe the political cat with nine lives. This man will be not stopped by another scandal. He has shown the ability to side step and power through scandals like a shifty rugby player. He is as smooth as a winger on the football pitch. This man is a mover and Shaiker!

In saying all this I am beginning to worry, just a little, about how many more political lives this man has? The problem is there is just so much negative press about him that he maybe one huge, insanely large scandal away from a political melt down. Apart from being indirectly associated with the Shaik issue, there is the whole controversy surrounding the barring of White journalists at the Black Journalist Forum. In the media Jacob Zuma seems to be more of a divisive figure than a unifying figure. This may work to the advantage of those against him. They may continue to campaign against this man in the press. However, fortunately for Zuma his biggest constituency reads the soap opera like tabloid, The Daily Sun. So they won’t see most of the press against him.

I guess he will Shaik it up again!