General Mpho MoAfrika Maza JJ Dube, The Azanian Editor in Chief and Founder.
A Chinese military strategist, philosopher and writer General Sun Tzu who lived during the Eastern Zhou period (771-256 BC) said an evil man will burn his own country to the ground to rule over the ashes.
The current political dynamics in South Africa is true testimony that some political leaders have no interest in enhancing and improving people’s lives but instead opted to burn our country and rule over ashes. Former president Jacob Zuma is true testimony that indeed being selfish and myopic to reality becomes the order of the day by not putting people first.
Zuma doesn’t see anything wrong with his counterrevolutionary conceited predispositions despite the fact that he sold our country to the controversial Gupta family. He has remained egocentric and pompous to advance his personal interest following his vendetta to his political nemesis President Cyril Ramaphosa who defeated him during the ANC 48th National Conference in Durban in July 1991 to be elected ANC Secretary General.
His attempt to impose his wife Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma who narrowly lost to Ramaphosa for the President position on 18 December 2017 during the 54 ANC National Conference was unsuccessful. The man who spent R246 millions of taxpayers to build his private home in Nkandla became so bitter and decided to open his new political toy Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) Party to satisfy his self-esteem.
MK Party leader's arrogance at the Zondo Commission came back to haunt him. Zuma’s dream of returning to the Unions Buildings has been shattered because of his criminal record. He might endorse his trifling politician son Duduzane who is an ally of the controversial Gupta family because of his egocentric mentality. Zuma hasn’t recovered from being walloped by President Cyril Ramaphosa. His actions of subjecting Ramaphosa to a private prosecution is proof that Zuma is not at peace with authenticity.
Zuma thought he had it all with his MK Party however his confidence and pompousness was quickly reduced to zilch after the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) confirmed that he cannot contest to become president of the country again because he was arrested, convicted and sentenced to 15 months' imprisonment after he was found guilty of defying summons to appear before the State Capture Commission in 2021.
The rebel from KZN is the first democratic elected president to be detained because of superciliousness. He failed to emulate his predecessors former Presidents Nelson Mandela and Thabo Mbeki. His political ancestors John L Dube and OR Tambo are disenchanted by the man who once told ANC detractors that it is cold outside the ANC and that the ANC will rule until Jesus comes back. Clearly Zuma is a political chameleon who doesn’t practice what he sermonises.
The political demagogue who received a presidential pardon from the man he hates the most President Ramaphosa regrettably will have to wait until 2029 to contest the general elections because he has not finished five years out of jail term. He returned to the same Correctional Services centre just for his remission to be administered in August last year.
According to Section 47(e) of the country’s Constitution, every citizen who is qualified to vote for the National Assembly is eligible to be a member of the Assembly, except anyone who, after this section took effect, is convicted of an offence and sentenced to more than 12 months' imprisonment without the option of a fine, either in the Republic, or outside if the conduct constituting the offence would have been an offence in the Republic.
Zuma is not a thorn to his party the ANC but a menace to society. Zuma's action of not respecting the constitution by refusing to testify at the Zondo Commission contributed to 2021 July unrest. The South African government reported that 354 people had died in the riots. As of 12 August 2022, 5,500 people had been arrested, in connection with the unrest which resulted in widespread looting, burning and destruction of public and private properties which cost about R50 billion in damage. A tribalist of note who is a narcissist in the name of Zupta revolution didn’t care about people who lost their lives because of his unruliness.
The man from Kwa-Zulu Natal who looted the state purse when upgrading security at his private residence referred to as Nkandlagate at a cost of over R246 million suffered another major blow. In line with the Constitutional Court's judgement, Zuma repaid the state for the non-security upgrades priced at R7.81 million by the National Treasury in September 2016. Who will ever forget when the then new kid on the block EFF chanted the slogan “pay back the money” disrupting him in parliament every time he was on the podium trying to address members of parliament.
Zuma’s conduct of power mongering narcissism tribalism tendencies is a recipe to calamity. Zuma, who claims to be the champion of the poor, has cost the ANC and South Africans exceedingly during his tenure as the commander in chief and president of the country.
Despite that his MK Party got 53 caucus members sworn in parliament, his own province KZN is also gatvol with him as the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) formed Government of National Unity (GNU) with ANC and DA to ensure that he mustn’t remote control KZN. The ANC leadership pronounced him as a self-centred leader who is a political dwarf. Zuma has irked ANC leadership across the country including his stronghold in KZN by forming MK party and declaring that he will not vote for the ANC.
The latest developments could be easily interpreted that Zuma has cost the ANC to lose votes nationally.
The 81-year-old Zuma must accept that his time as political leader is terminated therefore, he must enjoy his retirement silently and refrain from subjecting himself to political tomfoolery nincompoop trends. Is Zuma a rebel with a course or a curse? Does he want to start a war like most African leaders who opted to become rebels because they are power mongers who lost power? There’s a need to perform serious political exorcism to such unorthodox trends.
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