So…. JZ’s our president after a particularly (I think it’s safe to say) controversial rise to power. I mean, how many guys do YOU know can get kicked out of office as the deputy president, ALMOST stand trial for all kinds of debauchery and treachery, be accused of rape somewhere between all of THAT, AND STILL emerge smiling as the president of the country???? Big up Msholozi! This guys obviously got the drive and determination that so many of us lack. Talk about rising from the ashes.
So where to now for the South African’s that DIDN’T believe???? I’ll be the first to admit that I DID NOT vote for the ANC (I went for COPE) and I certainly didn’t (and still don’t) agree with some of Msholozi’s deeds of the past - yes, I AM a fickle friend of the ANC I suppose but at least I’m big enough to admit it.
I’ll even be ballsy enough to say that I haven’t changed my views about many things when it comes to the ANC, but dare I say that I think that MAY just change…Jacob Zuma’s ascended into the presidency knowing full well that those opposed to him and his presidency are watching him like hawks and waiting for him to mess up. For THAT reason, I think he’ll bend over backwards to make a difference and to shut all the critics and those who DIDN’T vote for him (myself included) up.
Call me a sell-out if you want to (my apologies to COPE and Rev. Dandala), but the man IS in power now, and I think it’s something to be excited about.
As for the DA…well, I like Helen Zille, no really - I do. Lol, this lady has a voicemail message thats in English, Afrikaans and Xhosa… she’s certainly got character and can create quite a stir if she so pleases. That aside though, she would make a great leader (I think), but I JUST don’t think the world is ready for female power (bar the 1 or 2 small countries who’s names escape me now that have women presidents)….I mean, if a super power like America is only ushering a black president in now, I think we’re ALL going to have to wait a while before taking the next step of having a female president, yes???
And then there’s COPE. Oh, my dear beloved COPE… Well, I think they did bloomin’ well for a party that’s only been around for 200-odd days, but lets face it…we all knew they wouldn’t win but at least now they’ve managed to establish themselves and a 3-million strong support base. And with the whole election pressure off of them, they can at least focus on what THEY actually stand for and NOT on slandering the ANC and Jacob. Maybe I’ll see you at the polls again next time chaps.
I guess what I’m trying to get at here is…well… If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. NO, I’m not saying we should all band together outside of Luthuli House and sing Mshini Wam’ at the top of or voices, but let’s all work TOGETHER to make this whole democracy business work. Ultimately, we all want the same thing don’t we? We all love our country, don’t we? So…lets just help make it as great as it can be, even if it IS under the guidance of a president who dances during press-conferences. Maybe we could even learn a few moves along the way????
Just MY opinion though, what’s yours?
- by Portia Palesa Rantsho
The error that has gripped South African entertainment has left us as South Africa with egg on our faces. Sasha-Lee Davids was declared the winner of Idols 5 but then there was a recount with the votes last week and they actually found out that Jason got the most votes! Jason Hartman actually got 200 000 more votes than Sasha-Lee but a blunder with the vote counting caused by the cellphone network operators has caused a lot of controversy now. We know that nothing is ever 100% guaranteed when it comes to technology and these errors do happen but when they do it is embarrassing as the whole world takes note of these mistakes. And the first thing they say is, “Look at South Africa!!”
Now the organisers of Idols have decided that both Sasha-Lee and Jason are the winners of Idols. This is not the first time in South Africa reality television that we have had two winners. In the SA Apprentice hosted by Tokyo Sekwale, he decided to name two winners! That in itself was shocking! How can you have two winners? Next we are going to see Survivor South Africa having two winners!
Looking at Idols, it is clear according to the votes that Jason won therefore he should be the sole winner. Yes, I feel would feel sorry for Sasha-Lee if they took the title away from her and I would blame it on the network operators who failed to tally the votes. Look at it this way, if by some miracle it was found out that Helen Zille actually got more votes than Jacob Zuma, would we have a situation where we say they are both the presidents of South Africa?
What do you think should happen in the aftermath of this? It does not look like they will change from the “They are both the winners stance” but I would say that Sasha-Lee should accept defeat and let Jason be the sole winner of Idols. He is the winner after all! All this vote counting and mistakes are taking me back to the election counting in Zimbabwe! Recount anyone?
If you missed Jacob Zuma being sworn in yesterday as the new president of South Africa, then you can view the video clip below and see what happened. For me the highlight of this video is two fold, Zuma said in his speech with reference to Nelson Mandela, “He (Mandela) taught us that all South Africans have equal claim to this country, and that there can be no lasting peace unless all of us, black and white, learned to live together in harmony and peace.” Now I seem to recall Zimbabwe’s President Mugabe saying something similar when Zimbabwe got its independance i.e. there is a place for black and white in Zimbabwe, but look at how that panned out with the white farmers being chased out of Zimbabwe. I hope the same does not happen in South Africa. Then have a look at the end of the clip how Mugabe is so excited for Zuma!
Yesterday marked a ‘new dawn’ in South Africa when Jacob Zuma was inaugurated as the president of the country. As I woke up yesterday, the weather was terrible, it was grey and overcast and I wondered what was going to happen at the inauguration if it rained. I switched on my TV to tune into the live coverage of the inauguration and you could see the rain coming down and those already gathered at the Union Buildings had their umbrellas and raincoats. At that time I started to receives text messages and emails saying that this rain and gloom is a bad sign! “How can our next president be sworn in on a day that is so dull and gloomy?” I too was getting very worried. But I was sure that the organisers of this event had made provisions for rain. In African culture, rain is a sign of blessing so even if it rained it would be a blessing for that day, whilst some would say the rain is a sign of the infamous Jacob Zuma ’shower’!
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Baleka Mbete will not be the deputy president of South Africa and instead will take up a role at Luthuli House as chairperson of the ANC. No one knows exactly what is happening behind the scenes at the ANC with regards to Mbete but this is the most likely explanation:
Mbete wanted to remain as the deputy president of South Africa when Jacob Zuma was appointed president of the country. But it looks like Zuma has decided to go with caretaker president Kgalema Motlanthe as the deputy president of the country. A move that Mbete was clearly not happy with.
On Wednesday in parliment, Mbete ‘refused’ to be sworn in as an MP. I use the word refused in inverted commas because some circles say Mbete refused to be sworn in on her own terms whilst some people say that Mbete and the ANC were not yet clear on what role Mbete would take up by the time Wednesday came thus she was not sworn in.
But now it looks clear that Mbete refused to be sworn in after being snubbed of the deputy president position. But as a former deputy president, Mbete is entitled to her R1.8 million pension for life and other perks such as bodyguards, an official car and staff at taxpayers’ expense. Not bad money at all!!
Reports in todays Sunday Times suggest that Mbete “behaved like a school girl” when she snubbed being sworn in as an MP, a move they say embarrassed the ANC. One would be tempted to say there is already infighting in the new ANC administration ‘before a ball has even been kicked’. This is politics after all and nothing will ever be clear and smooth sailing from here on out.
The puppet that caused a lot of controversy has been auctioned off for R100 000. The puppet which featured in the recent Nandos TV advert and became a “celebrity overnight” was sold to Ryan Lotter from Johannesburg. It is understood that the proceeds of the auction will be donated to a charity group. The question now remains; what will Lotter do with the puppet? There are some suggestions that he is going to give it to DA leader Hellen Zille who Julius Malema recently called a ‘racist little girl’.
Yesterday (Tuesday), USA president, Barack Obama and his vice-president Joe Biden, did the unexpected and left the White House to go out for lunch at independent burger joint Ray’s Hell Burger in Arlington, Virginia. It is reported that Obama ordered a basic cheddar cheese burger, with mustard, no ketchup, and a bottle of water. Biden also ordered a burger, his with Swiss cheese and jalapeno peppers. The two then proceeded to sit down at the wooden tables at the dinner after placing their order at the counter.
While they waited, Obama offered to buy burgers for all the members of the press pool — the reporters, photographers and other journalists who travel with him wherever he goes. All but five of the dozen or so there declined. No can you just imagine what it would be like when Jacob Zuma becomes president of South Africa and he decides to go out for lunch and he invites Julius Malema with him and they go to Nandos???
It was announced yesterday (Monday) by South Africa Home Affairs minister, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, that Zimbabwe citizens can now travel to South Africa and obtain a free 90-day visitor’s permit and apply to do casual work during their stay. The new regulations came into effect May 1, but Mapisa-Nqakula acknowledged bureaucratic hurdles could slow implementation.
South African officials have been overwhelmed by Zimbabweans, who apply for asylum at a rate of more than 8,000 a day, and they believe many will now opt for the visitor’s permit. Most asylum seekers are denied because South African officials believe most Zimbabweans are not fleeing out of fear or persecution, but to find work as their economy collapses.
This decision is going to cause a lot of controversy, I am sure of that. Not too long ago, we had a serious problem of xenophobia in South Africa with a driving reason behind it being that there are too many foreigners in South Africa who are taking jobs away from the South Africans. Now with this ruling, there will be even more Zimbabweans coming into South Africa. It will not surprise me at all if we see another wave of xenophobia attacks caused by this visa ruling. Watch this space.
Zikalala said that he was leaving with his head held high. Snuki Zikalala has always been surrounded by controversy especially for his support of the ANC and in particular his support for the Thabo Mbeki faction. Zuma supporters accused him of using the public broadcaster to promote Mbeki at the expense of Zuma. In 2006, Zikalala was at the centre of a ‘blacklisting’ scandal, involving the barring of political commentators believed to be critical of Mbeki. In 2007 Snuki manouvered the resignation of the veteran SABC journalist John Perlman. As a result of Zuma’s election victory at Polokwane and again in April 2009, it was only a matter of time for Snuki Zikalala to go. Click here for more Zapiro cartoons on Snuki Zikalala
South Africa’s fourth democratic elections since 1994 exposed some key fissures in the country’s body politic yet also confirmed some long-standing trends. Domestic party politics has always been largely the domain of the African National Congress – fighting to either increase its monolithic dominance of public support within a single-dominant political party structure or fending off smaller and less significant opposition entities usually from minority communities. This election was no different – yet the unique circumstances following last year’s un-ceremonial early dismissal of outgoing President Thabo Mbeki together with the ascent to the power by Mbeki’s successor, the controversial Jacob Zuma., dominated the campaign.
In fact, the entire poll was dominated almost entirely by the persona of Jacob Zuma. Acquitted on rape charges three years ago and implicated in an ongoing graft and corruption scandal involving a very controversial and questionable arms scandal, Zuma was bound to illicit howls of derision from intellectuals. The ‘chattering classes’ were quick to laugh him off as eminently unsuitable for public office and to denigrate him for his lack of formal education. Coupled with his now infamous views on unprotected sex and the transmission of HIV/AIDS, Zuma’s every word and deed became the focus of the campaign – to the detriment of most other policy debates.
All South Africa’s political parties produced glossy and detailed election manifestos that dealt in varying degrees of detail with the perennial issues of ‘service delivery’ – particularly in education, health care and poverty alleviation. But, it was still Jacob Zuma and his suitability as future President that continued to occupy the minds of the media and analysts alike. Few voters would’ve been able to articulate policy nuances of the differing parties – but most had a view on Zuma.
