By Tiro Makhudu
The appointment of President Jacob Zuma to high office, or any office that requires even a fleeting modicum of intelligence, was arguably the most notable faux pas any nation has committed in the 21st century. Much like repetition for emphasis, or rather sheer stupidity i.e Bafana Bafana, AmaBoko-Boko, Banyana Banyana etc, we elected the arithmetic expert to high office- twice. My personal befuddlement lies not so much in the decision to place an incompetent to lead the undesirable; that is an unmistakable pattern in the Nubian democratic story. What has me reeling, is our trajectory a second before this catastrophic blunder.
It does not take a great measure of genius to ascertain beyond reasonable doubt that former President Thabo Mbeki was a leader of a notable calibre. Mbeki was a wise, well-versed, intelligent, respectable, articulate president who was steadily leading South Africa to economic success. He made greater strides than any other president before him, both prior to and within the South African democratic dispensation. In the minds of many, with the inclusion of his detractors, the adjectives above fall below befitting, but they are a rather inadequate description of this giant of African politics. In spite of this awareness, many grinned and applauded as he was ousted for holding passionately the view that Zuma was not the right person to take this country forward. True to form, we zigged when we should have zagged and ended up in the wilderness that is the Zuma administration. This is a presidency riddled with thievery and unabated corruption, all in the name of loyalty to a movement responsible for the very democracy they trample on every day. What then, is the point of act 108 of 1996, that so boldly declares itself the supreme law of the land and that any law contrary to it is not law?
Right now, the issue of HIV denialism is running through the machine above your neck. A man looks up the definition of a virus: virus
ˈvʌɪrəs/
noun
noun: virus; plural noun: viruses; noun: computer virus; plural noun: computer viruses
1.
an infective agent that typically consists of a nucleic acid molecule in a protein coat, is too small to be seen by light microscopy, and is able to multiply only within the living cells of a host.
A man then looks up the definition of a syndrome: syndrome
ˈsɪndrəʊm/
noun
noun: syndrome; plural noun: syndromes
1. a group of symptoms which consistently occur together, or a condition characterized by a set of associated symptoms.
The man further juxtaposes the two and is puzzled. It stands to reason, that the man will do some digging to wrap his head around the exact meaning of these concepts. Perhaps the result of such digging does not yield “acceptable results”. However, the same discussion, when had years earlier, was confidently relegated to a single group of persons, solely based on their sexual orientation. The wheels continue to turn in that sizeable machine in above your neck. Then, the PMTC and ARV issue jumps to the forefront of your thought process; once again you are roaming in the right pastures. But, are the machinations of your mind limited by the exclusion of the possibility that Thabo was not yet convinced? Maybe Thabo was skeptical of the drugs promised to be the salvation of our people. Would they indeed live up to the promise printed on the boxes that carried them? The exclusion of this possibility is a leap from the critical to the plain ridiculous. Pharmaceutical companies have shamelessly extorted business from vulnerable nations for eons. A clear example of this is the existence of generic and patented medication. Both medications are made of the exact same elements through the same process at the same factory, except one is blue and the other pink. The monetary difference, however, is continents apart.
A response to this argument may be that many countries had achieved success in prolonging the life of citizens using this treatment. However, it is important to consider that OBE was A success everywhere else, yet fell flat when implemented in the South African context. Furthermore, such medication is designed to create a chronic dependency and in no way actually cures the attacking virus or syndrome. Surely there is something to be said about that. Apprehension is not totally unfounded.
All things said, we traded a genius for a moron. Let us take a snapshot of the current President of South Africa in comparison to the preceding democratically elected statesmen:
Nelson Mandela requested a pay cut yet Zuma demanded a pay raise.
Thabo Mbeki used the same jet Mandela and De Klerk used. Zuma is currently on to jet number 2. Interestingly, the defence ministry is on record saying that they have no clue what is actually wrong with jet number one.
Laced with Zuma’s presidency is a rape scandal, additional ministries which increase national expenditure, Nkandla, Guptas and one swoop that sent the economy for a nosedive. In the face of all this, there are still those who insist on shielding his indiscretions, hyperventilating in his defence.
I challenge you to put achievements of this presidency forward that were not in motion prior to his term(s). Alas, the era of buffoonery has come to a crashing end and a brighter future peeks from the depths of despair to offer hope to an ailing nation. The only thing that stands between that nation and the miracle of progress is one vote: An emotional vote versus a rational vote is the proverbial thin line between a banana republic and a continental Superpower.
The nation is given yet another chance to remedy the faux pas or repeat. I believe that that, in itself, outlines yet another condition that cannot be cured!
By Tiro Makhudu
Tiro Makhudu is an aspiring writer who has written for several local television productions and a voice screaming the narrative that needs to be heard with no one willing it to tell it. With an unapologetic, no nonsense approach, Tiro holds no punches and purports to wake the spirit of his fellow man with the belief that that woke spirit will translate into a sharp and pro-African weapon of a mind that will deliver the African from his mind, body and soul penitentiary. An Africanist through and through and all round social commentator, Tiro seeks to plant his tiny seedlings in the landscape of the discourse that will one day give rise to the brightest Africa that the winds of change and hands of time will allow.
