Zuma sorry for graft but fails to mention his role
South African President Jacob Zuma delivering a speech at the South African Parliament in Cape Town on May 5, 2016. When his predecessor, Thabo Mbeki, appointed him vice president in 1999, he faced some 700 criminal charges. PHOTO | AFP
What you need to know:
- He was found to have spent state funds to turn his Nkandla rural home into a village of opulence.
- The watchdog probe uncovered evidence of possible criminal activity in his relationship with the Guptas.
Belatedly, South African President Jacob Zuma has admitted mistakes cost his ruling African National Congress party votes in local elections last year.
But, failure to apologise for his role is dishonest.
Mr Zuma was speaking a couple of weeks ago at the 105th anniversary of ANC’s founding celebrations.
It’s an annual gathering and this time in Orlando stadium, Soweto, part of the apartheid era blacks’ South Western Townships.
By and large, they are yet to benefit from the 1994 collapse of the abhorrent, violent official race discrimination system.
“The ANC has heard the message that the people delivered in August. We accept that we have made mistakes,” Mr Zuma, 74, said.
He forgot he’s mistake No. 1. When his predecessor, Thabo Mbeki, appointed him vice president in 1999, he faced some 700 criminal charges, a disqualification.
He would later gang up with Julius Malema then head of the ANC Youth League to hound Mbeki out of office in 2009. Malema is one of his vicious critics.
“Too often, comrades fight for leadership positions as they see leadership as the route to material and personal gain,” Mr Zuma said. He isn’t poor.
Space here doesn’t allow a rehash of corruption allegations against top ANC leaders.
Prominent among them, though, are Zuma’s. Just a few: he was found to have spent state funds to turn his Nkandla rural home into a village of opulence.
Attacks on his presidency grew last year. Mr Zuma survived an attempt by ANC rivals to oust him in November.
To him, criticism of his conduct by the official anti-graft watchdog and the Constitutional Court deserved only yawns.
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The watchdog probe uncovered evidence of possible criminal activity in his relationship with the Guptas.
The immensely wealthy family is accused of wielding undue political influence.
Mr Zuma didn’t address these issues.
Instead, he made the usual political promises about rooting out corruption, improving ailing economy — once the largest and now third in Africa — land re-distribution, fighting crime, eliminating factionalism, ad infinitum.
“The people have told us that we are too busy fighting each other and we do not pay sufficient attention to their needs,” he intoned.
Mr Andrew Mlangeni, an ANC veteran, chairs the party integrity committee. On Mr Zuma, BuzzSouth Africa quoted him saying: “I am saying it [Nkandla issue] could have been handled differently.
“I think they [ANC leaders] should have taken a decision and asked him to resign because, by not resigning, he has killed the organisation and the economy of the country has gone down.”
The ANC will choose a new leader in December. It has nothing to lose by sending Zuma, whose second terms ends in 2019, packing.
A precedent exists: Mbeki exit.
