ANALYSIS
Lest we forget — Zuma and his little helpers took South Africa on the path of destruction
The ANC’s suspension of Jacob Zuma probably signals the end of the former president’s remaining political power within the party. He wielded immense power over the ANC and used that power to cause untold damage to the organisation he identified so closely with. On his path of destruction, he was supported, enabled and often encouraged by people who now say they want nothing to do with him. Where were they when Zuma’s narrow personal agenda took over South Africa?
On the rainy night of 18 December 2007, in a tent on the muddy field of the University of the North in Mankweng, Polokwane, Jacob Zuma was elected leader of the ANC with 60% of the vote. The images of that night capture him striding on to the stage and being joined by his opponent and President at the time, Thabo Mbeki, and the awkward hug between them.
Jacob Zuma is announced as having won the election to ANC president by about 824 votes against incumbent Thabo Mbeki, Polokwane, South Africa, 18 December 2007. (Photo: Greg Marinovich)
What lives on in fallible human memory is the noise. The sheer sound avalanche as 2,500 members of the party celebrated “their victory”.
I remember the moment, Nokia clasped to my right ear, trying to file a radio piece, being confronted by a woman with a drum, and the utter delight, the almost delirium on her face, radiant with ecstasy.
Many millions celebrated around South Africa that night.
Less than a year later, when Zuma, now the ANC leader, appeared in the KwaZulu-Natal Division of the High Court in Pietermaritzburg, about half of the ANC National Executive Committee (NEC) were in the court to show their support.
Blade Nzimande, Kgalema Motlanthe, Gwede Mantashe, Zwelinzima Vavi (who coined the expression “Zunami” before Polokwane), Angie Motshekga and many others were present.
Outside the court, an immense crowd had gathered. Perhaps 5,000 people had spent the night there to show their support for Zuma.
This was just a measure of the power the man had and how he was able to use the power of the ANC to further his agenda.
No one else in recent times had held the position of ANC leader, deputy leader, chair and deputy secretary-general. No one else had the political ability to manage the situation so effectively.
And yet, Zuma damaged the ANC. Perhaps tragically, perhaps fatally, but certainly fundamentally.
Along with that, he damaged the entire country.
After he became leader of the ANC in 2007, he was able to use his political power to force the acting head of the NPA, Mokotedi Mpshe, to withdraw the corruption charges against him just in time for the 2009 elections, clearing the road for Zuma to become President in May that year.
Rape trial, Nkandla scandal and Guptas
The short, quiet period ended soon after it became public that he had fathered a child with Sonono Khoza in 2010, forcing the ANC to come to his defence once again. (Sonono was the daughter of Zuma’s friend Irwin Khoza.) This followed the awful mess of his rape trial.
He forced the entire nation to live through the Nkandla scandal, expecting the ANC in Parliament to always support him, even through the nonsense about a “fire pool”. The party obliged.
Through much of this time, he was not governing for the good of the ANC or the country.
He was governing for the good of himself and the Gupta family.
It was they who benefitted. To the tune of nearly R50-billion (that’s BILLION — Ed).
Along the way, Zuma went against his party in his Cabinet appointments.
He appointed Mosebenzi Zwane as mineral resources minister so he could get on a plane with the Guptas to help them in their negotiations with Glencore.
He removed Nhanhla Nene as finance minister and appointed Des van Rooyen, bringing SA’s financial system into serious trouble.
And, on April Fools’ Day 2017, he made wholesale and reckless changes to his Cabinet.
For so much of this time, many people in Cosatu, the SACP and the ANC itself did nothing.
Even when Fikile Mbalula, back in 2012, told the NEC the Guptas knew about Cabinet appointments before anyone else, no one did anything.
Anyone who dared to criticise Zuma, for his relationships with the Guptas, for his intergenerational sex, for his obvious misdeeds, was insulted, ignored or attacked.
It was only when the ANC itself was threatened, when Hlaudi Motsoeneng started to promise miracles, when society was forced to rise up, that his hold on the ANC started to break.
On 18 December 2017, 10 years to the day since he was elected at Polokwane, Zuma spoke for the last time as ANC leader.
When he sang about a machine gun, a weapon of death, the noise in the hall at Nasrec had the force of a hail of bullets — it was overwhelming, immense, incredible.
It was obvious, even then, that it would be the final time the ANC sang like that, moved like that and for many, felt like that.
It was always going to be different afterwards.
Just a few hours later, Nickolaus Bauer’s famous video captured Zuma’s face when Ramaphosa’s victory was announced.
But Zuma was not done with damaging his party.
No remorse
It was obvious he would have to relinquish the presidency. After Zuma dug in his heels, Parliament had to postpone the State of the Nation Address to allow the NEC to vote to remove him.
Even then, his departure speech, on Valentine’s Day 2018, was an angry, bitter and resentful affair.
There was no glimmer of remorse or humility. Donald Trump-like, he only knew about the pain and humiliation HE felt.
Those in the ANC who hoped that, finally, Zuma would stop damaging their party have again been proved wrong.
After his supporters played a major role in the July 2021 riots that almost wrecked the country, he was still undeterred.
Now, he is leaving the party, again with no remorse and no humility, but insisting that he be allowed to remain, while openly campaigning for another party.
Zuma leaves behind an ANC changed forever, tragically, by his time in it.
It was all so avoidable.
In 2005, Zuma was found to have received a bribe from Schabir Shaik. As the Constitutional Court later put it, “The State had established, as a matter of fact, that both benefits flowed to Mr Shaik and the Nkobi companies as a result of Mr Zuma’s support for Mr Shaik and his companies…”
It was obvious then that Zuma was morally compromised.
This became even more obvious a year later, during his rape trial, in which he was acquitted of raping the daughter of a friend who had died. Zuma claimed that the sex had been consensual and that, knowing the complainant, Fezekile Ntsukela Kuzwayo, was HIV positive, he had a shower afterwards as a precautionary measure.
Those who wouldn’t listen then are suffering the consequences of trying to steer a political party that has become irreparably damaged.
Even now, the party’s leaders have not learnt the lessons that Zuma offered.
In 2022, the ANC ordered its MPs to blindly halt the Phala Phala investigation in its tracks. Just this week, the party’s spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri said they would not respond to the News24 reporting about Deputy President Paul Mashatile and that anyone with evidence against him must go to the police.
Zuma may now, finally, be leaving the ANC.
But part of him will forever live on within it — and keep causing damage to the party he said he loved forever and the country he swore to protect. DM
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Thank you, Mr Grootes, for this excellent summation of the tsunami of destruction, Zuma, that has destroyed our country and the hopes for all it’s peoples, resulting from the R50 billion (your number, Mr Grootes, though I would put the total loss to South Africa, including the opportunity costs of lost development potential at well north of R3 TRILLION.)
How did this happen, and why was the ANC and it’s leadership – and almost all the Press (including you, Mr Grootes) so easily cowed, controlled with many becoming unashamed praise singers?
What enabled and brought about this collective madness, wrapped up in inertia and insomnia?
We need answers and proper accountability; President Ramaphosa brayed-on at the Zondo Commission, and promised both root and branch change and full accountability with the culprits to be charged and jailed, and the looted funds to be recovered.
Yet close to nothing has happened. Our police, NPA, military, security services et al, indeed the whole moral fibre of our country has been allowed to rot and decay, reduced to hollowed out shells, incapable of any action.
And still our politicians and the ANC point fingers each and every way, except of course at themselves and expect to be re-elected?!
It becomes clear why our education system is so dire – the very last thing a corrupt, incompetent, self-serving ANC needs, is a citizenry capable of “joined up thinking”, who would have cut out this cancer long ago. The second best time to act, is NOW.
Ramaphosa doesn’t take action because he was/is complicit as with every anc leader before him, without exception
Don’t get me wrong, and I am by no means a supporter of Ramaphosa or the ANC. However, one could considers the amount of Zuma supporters still in the cabinet, considerable support he still enjoys in public and tribalism has become a factor in South African politics. I would say Ramaphosa has an even tougher task on his hands.
Slowly he has brought a few of the smaller criminals to book, shifted cabinet ministers strategically; in order to minimize the Zuma supporters and desperately trying to claw SA out of a deep dark pit; with little to no support; recover the tainted reputation of the party and try to win an upcoming election.
Unfortunately, too little too late. I hate to say it, but the ANC is not going to relinquish their power without resorting to dirty tricks. While they’re around all I can hope for is to rid his cabinet of the rotten prickly pears…Mashatile, Cele, Mantashe, et cetera.
Agreed
Fully support Mr. Quirk, we would really like answers and accountability NOW. Mr. Grootes, please ask those questions to three groupings – Cyril, Fikile and selected members of the press?
Very well put Jon and completely agree.
Well said Jon, anyone expecting a reply on specific questions to the ANC leadership is dilutional. ‘Zunami’ has been institutionalized withing the ANC, it is prevalent in every aspect within the ANC. The ANC is BROKEN, unfixable. The sad thing is that I doubt we will ever see the back of the ANC. Self-enrichment has become a culture in S.A.
It is shameful and a disgrace how the image and reputation of SA and the anc has been damaged by this ….and yet the popularity remains….it is a matter of great concern
How ironical, Zuma was defended eight or nine times in a vote of no confidence in Parliament by the ANC. He stated that he would never leave his beloved ANC. He also stated the the ANC would govern until “Jesus Comes”. It definitely seems like our Lord Jesus will be arriving shortly as the ANC implodes and self destructs. Zuma seems buoyant as he shows the ANC the middle finger and forms another party. So much for locality.
I am keeping a close eye on the skies for the second coming …. but I think Zuma has lied …. again
You have tried for decades to wish JZ away but he remains right in your faces to your greatest annoyance. What will you do this time? Send him to prison again? The man has outsmarted all of you his adversaries. Give him a break and a Bells.
This, people, is why SA is in such a sorry state!
He has not outsmarted anyone, he was allowed by the anc and its cohorts to destroy SA.
Both him and the anc have and are “outsmarting” poorly educated people every election with the help of R350 a T-shirt and promises which they never deliver on.
Very disingenuous to refer to it as outsmarting considering the fact that the “Zupta’s” are sitting with the bulk of the stolen loot, if he was so clever he would be sitting with it.
And unfortunately, sycophants keep praising him like he is a hero.
You’re dead right of course. He robbed SA blind, but he’s not going away. You have unwittingly put your finger on the problem. SA doesn’t have a Zuma problem or an ANC problem. SA has a voter problem. Millions of people – no doubt yourself included – do not have the intellectual ability to recognize what is morally acceptable, or, if they do, they don’t see stealing and corruption as wrong. To them, concepts like honesty and accountability are colonialist tendencies. This, not Zuma, is the reason SA is doomed.
Exactly
Spot on. Democracy only works when citizens are competent voters. Our education system does not teach the critical skills necessary for competent voting. Giving votes to incompetent voters is the same as giving drivers licenses to incompetent drivers. Both result in harm to society.
I wholeheartedly concur with you. JZ is not going anywhere. Compared to the so-called educated Blacks, the man is smarter. Although I don’t support the ANC or him, I do give credit where credit is due. He knows how to play the game of politics and understands it. Perhaps JZ is aware of what the ANC was thinking in case they received less than 40% of the vote in the next elections. JZ and other members of the ANC are aware of the looming unholy ANC/DA coalition driven by Ramaphosa that it is a done deal. MK was carefully considered when it was formed to oppose this move. JZ in his own words, stated that the “MK was formed to rescue the ANC from the ANC of Ramphosa due to the envisaged unholy coalition!
Pardon?
“…..the utter delight, the almost delirium on her face, radiant with ecstasy.”
By ‘your’ faces, presumably you mean those of ‘us’ interested in advancing South Africa – people with moral backbone and fortitude. You don’t sound like one of ‘us’.
Sadly and scarily, I believe that you are serious? Cry, the beloved country!!!!
The more appropriate headline would be: Lest we forget — the ANC and Jacob Zuma took South Africa on the path of destruction.
Yes – and all of those complicit still hold positions of power. Blocking previous votes of no confidence. Our president being one of them. Nobody has been charged or jailed. Let’s pray they are voted out this time around.
Exactly – it wasn’t solely Zuma. There is a rot in this so-called liberation movement that began long before Zuma, and it will continue to eat at the fabric of our long-suffering peoples. So-called liberation movements, world wide – not just in Africa, become fat on their victories, negligent in their government, and, finally, sink – often to be replaced by equally noxious entities, who then repeat the whole cycle.
Without Zuma, the ANC would not be facing removal from office in 2024. Perhaps he did us a favor, seen over the longterm.
Perhaps Daily Maverick could obtain, name and shame those MP’s who voted and protected JZ with their votes in the motions of no confidence in the Houses of Parliament?
Party before country!
ANC is the heart and soul of state capture!
our country has been raped and left to die! the spoils and looting will in essence be their “Rewards” for liberating this country . Codessa was a farce . The country was already shaped for the future in 1987! what was liberated ??
What a Trump. Thanks Stephen – important to remember during an election year.
What gets my goat in the long run about this sociopath is how he laughed with open contempt on multiple occasions when he was being held to account. He is a complete wrecking ball and the ANC has no one to blame but itself for allowing him to wreck away. This party is so corrupt it’s sickening.
A malignant South Africa problem that can only end in death!
I think it’s a mistake to attribute all this to Zuma. Yes, he was harmful to the party. But he’s what the party wanted after all. With Ramaphosa we have different problems, but problems nonetheless. And whoever follows will be no better.
Oaf of Office. A good summation by Stephen Grootes of SA’s lost years. His main point is that the ANC enabled the whole thing. That is the ongoing concern. Is there ever going to be real grasp of the meaning of parliamentary democracy and public ethics? Populist politics, our downfall, is merely opportunism. One suspects that opportunism is seen as something to admire. The ethics of the playground.
The people are masters! politicians supposedly our glorified servants . South Africa made a somersault. Politicians are our masters , and we have to bow down to them in just about in every way . I fully agree that the biggest problem is not the politicians , but the quality of voters .Secondly the votes are not weighted. how do you equate a taxpayer’s vote to that of a prisoner . they are weighted equally. Ridiculous!!!
We have great constitution. Pity it’s principles are ignored unless it goes to the Constitutional Court, whether by regulatory proclamation or crime. A start might be that the ConCourt first review any change in legislation before it goes to vote. That is QA 101.
He is only the tip of the iceberg…
Thank you Mr Grootes for some sangine historical moments. The DNA of the ANC does not allow it to change for the better, no matter what president it has – not that it would want to. Their DNA is embodied in their NDR plan with its aim of gradually providing an elite that ‘owns’ everything and acts with no accountability and little concern for the country’s citizens. Zuma to the ‘T’. A consequence of this DNA is that their mantra has become Sloth, Incompentence, Greed (–> corruption, criminality), and Bad Ideology, (BIGSI) with the occassional sop to business and others. A second consequence, and proof of its intended path, is that it aligns itself with like minded countries and entities – Cuba, Iran, Hamas, Venzuela, Hezbollah, Russia etc. It should be MPH. Merit, Performance and Honesty, none of which the ANC and probably never will. It’s earlier leaders may have had a bit of P and H, but that is now all gone.
Thank you Mr Grootes for reminding us what a trainsmash Zuma has been for our country and his party. But then, he has always represented what the ANC promised their supporters will rain on them when the party took over power – millions … aaah …, billions, … listen properly …, trillions, he-he-he. Paul Mashitile has no such problems, he seems to be quite comfortable around big numbers.
To get the voters to understand, list some numbers like how many schools could have been built, hospitals, houses, jobs, roads, factories. The man in the street has no conception of a billion rand let alone a trillion. I don’t either.
If you give one rand away every single second, twenty four hours a day, it will take you about twelve days to give one million rand away. It will take you about THIRTY TWO years to give a billion rand away, at one rand a second. It will take you thirty two THOUSAND years to give away one trillion rand at one rand a second! Three zeros makes a huge difference. It’s laughable. I mean, how about the guy that’s trying to sue the cellphone company for the “please call me” thing: he’s been offered, like, what, almost fifty million rand! But, no, he wants seventy BILLION! Jirre, does anybody in SA, even the luckiest or hard-working, have that much cash? Ever?
Dont stress
The ANC will still control the Govt after the elections along with whoever wants power the most, and there are plenty of them.
They hopefully will lose the main provinces
The game will be about how the opposition work with a bigger number behind them
A charismatic, narcissistic sociapath cut from the same cloth as Donald Trump
We all cherish and will fight to defend democracy, and yet the success of any democracy is relies entirely on the calibre of the electorate. The big problem is populism. Imagine if the choice of who was to pilot the plane, conduct surgery on your heart or get Springbok colours was a matter of who is deemed most popular.
remember that most Senior Politicians were exiles, enjoying a luxurious life while South Africans struggled suffered, and sacrificed their lives for the liberation of the people from the grips of apartheid. These exiles are now the fat cats, enjoying the best of South Africa, while the rest are still suffering or probably even worse of today than before 1990 . Very SAD!!!
The EFF is also violent in their actions, only language. Just a few come to mind. Brackenfell School, Floid Shivambu and photographer, pushing people around at the death of Winnie, and the female journalist of ENca, Clicks,and and and. Are you now soft talking the EFF?
Retained in the ANC despite his litany of crimes against the people of this country and only suspended when he acted against the parties interest. That tells us all we need to know about the ANC.
When Zuma is charged with Treason, then there is hope for South Africa
Stephen brought some really bad memories back but in my mind he gives Zuma too much credit. As he himself mentions the ANC members voted against every motion in parliament that was brought against Zuma – and let’s not forget it included a number of our current ministers and the president! Yes Zuma wielded his power but he had the full support of all the ANC members in parliament – and we saw exactly that with Ramaphala and the lounge suite bank.
Give Zuma the “credit” that he is due but please do not exclude the current cabinet, parliamentarians and the their great leader Mbaks “Fearf@k@l” when dishing out “praise” for the successful destruction of our beautiful country. They were there dancing when Zuma became leader, president, and he was laughing for having “fooled us” with the fire pool, etc.
All I am trying to say – we must never forget that the current anc were all there at the time and are still working as hard as ever to destroy, loot, corrupt and cover up.
The simple fact that Zuma still enjoys hero-worshiping support in big sections of the population is a situation which makes any decent thinking South African despair. The ANC supported every evil act of this man in the face of desperate calls from the DA for no confidence votes. Mr. Zuma no doubt appreciates that past support from his beloved party and, true to form, proceeds to show his appreciation by shoving a huge carrot up its collective arse. Of course the incumbent president is no better and it is the hope of most voters that he will be consigned to the rubbish heap of SA history along with Zuma.
An odious man who represented an even more odious political party
The ANC leadership were hopelessly corrupt before 1994. They lived high on the hog off donated funds during exile and were not about to give it up. They did not “join the struggle to be poor”. They have repeatedly claimed “it is our time to eat” – and they’re still eating! Every one of them – and oh boy! – can they eat!
Corruption is endemic in the ANC, they enabled and fostered Zuma and all benefited financially from his corruption, as they do now under Ramaphosa. They will do anything, say anything in order to remain in power, not through ideology but for personal gain, at the expense of the people they claim to have “liberated”.
Their legacy will be that they have left their supporters worse off than they were under apartheid.
The fact is that the ANC qualifies, under all elements of the Organised Crime Act, as an organised crime syndicate, and should be charged accordingly.
Would it be possible for the tax payers of South Africa to launch a class action suit against Zuma/ANC for enabling the theft of their money? Surely there is enough evidence out there to support such a case, and, since it would be a civil case, the NPA, police and other government entities need not be involved.
The remark by Mr. Quirk re education is very relevant. I have worked in many African countries over the years and get a very strong impression that most African governments don’t want educated people because knowledge is power and that they are not prepared to share. Were it to have been different then Africa could easily have matched the Asian Tigers in terms of development and the upliftment of all its people. Very sad.
I support you john! 100% !!!
I like this.
It is clear to the rest of us! Only the anc and its supporters have forgotten.
Remember one fact… Rama-ssiah was his 2 IC whilst the plundering was taking place, and since then has escalated beyond comprehension, unabated!!!
Let’s not forget who Zuma’s deputy was….why Ramaphosa the honest lawyer who saw nothing, heard nothing and did nothing.
The opposition should be debunking everything Ramaphosa says in public, like his comment that the people could loose their benefits if the ANC loose at the polls. This amounts to a sleezy blatant lie, and he always stands and grins like a cheshire cat when he lies about anything. He has no morals or soul.
And so it will continue . . .
Irrespective of who leads the ANC, the cadres will provide a protective vanguard to deny and simultaneously attack the messengers, perpetuating the cover-ups, hustling wherever possible and trying to hoodwink the electorate. Using the historical figure of Mandela and as liberators from Apartheid, they will cling to this playbook, not realising that times are moving on and the point will be reached when the tide will turn against them. With leaden feet, they will plod on and lose the race.
Would it be possible for the tax payers of South Africa to launch a class action suit against Zuma/ANC for enabling the theft of their money? Surely there is enough evidence out there to support such a case, and, since it would be a civil case, the NPA, police and other government entities need not be involved. The remark by Mr. Quirk re education is very relevant. I have worked in many African countries over the years and get a very strong impression that most African governments don’t want educated people because knowledge is power and that they are not prepared to share. Were it to have been different then Africa could easily have matched the Asian Tigers in terms of development and the upliftment of all its people. Very sad.
Reply
South Africa has Brilliant , talented, and competent people, who are ethically sound, being sought out all over the world ! Comparatively , we are empirically, more savvy, have more insight and depth of global affairs than people of the so called first world. ANC feels their power and status threatened by such educated people sitting in positions of power. Hence the incompetence , failed delivery of basic services, amongst a myriad others. the uneducated people in power thrive in chaos and instability , and easlity get away with it!
Whether Zuma is there or not is immaterial. As long as the ANC stays in power, we will continue on the slippery slope to disaster.
That man (I refuse to use his name) should be facing treason charges as well as all the rest of the charges currently lined up against him. The incalculable harm he caused to the country, the heaps of additional suffering that the poor have to contend with, the dashing of hopes amongst the youth. He should be forced to pay with everything he has
I suppose an interesting question now is, if there is little to no power left within the ANC, is there potential for Zuma to be powerful again and how? I suggest it might be useful to consider the power a marginal party (1 or 2 seats) has in coalitions. See coalition history so far. They can disrupt, stop, and choose — and can be kingmakers. Could this happen with the new Zuma party in KZN?
True that. The losing 15% RET faction within ANC is islanded. Hanging out on the left or right with a few proportional representation seats the elite of the RET have power again. Mission accomplished.
like some groceries and furniture chains hotels etc, pick one , they are all the same .
The dry irony of everyone now feeling free and happy to blame Zuma for the sh*te the county is in at the moment. All those ‘little helpers’, some of whom you identify higher up in the piece, are mostly still where they were at the time or have shuffled on the even more lucrative positions on the ‘outside’ (e.g. Vavi). Yet, not a word about Ramapromise who, for those who may have forgotten, served as VP during all those years of utter chaos and who clearly did nothing to either alert the appropriate authorities or the nation or to stop the rampant corruption. Today, he’s the president of both that discredited movement and of SA, playing all holier-than-thow, and yet corruption has escalated to the point where even the chief justice felt duty-bound to say something about it. How much longer will South African voters allow these crooks to further take away what is rightfully theirs?
REPORTED FOR RACISM! How on Earth did this make it past moderation?! This is not your first offence either, you nasty, *nasty* person. How are you already this deplorable at 6:15 in the morning? @DM, your ‘Report offensive content’ feature needs to be less inscrutable (read: actually exist).
👍👍well written, thank you. Can’t wait waking up to the news that Zuma has left the planet…
And now Cyril and his Pandor have placed the ANC squarely with the compromised parties/organisations/countries – Cuba, Russia, Iran, Venezuela, Zimbabwe, Rapid Murder Force (Sudan), Hamas, a number of smaller Muslim terror groups.
Surely the world must see that PW Botha was right to classify the ANC as self serving criminal terrorist organisation.
My only hope is that the voters of SA have learned how corrupt and immoral this ANC is to the core and that they will throw this party onto the dung heap where it belongs.
It need sincere and honest voter education, to dissipate the conditioning the ANC blanketed on the rural poorly educated voters. Democracy has failed in most parts of the developing world , especially in Africa. The choices in front of us in terms of voting for a party, that will see to the interest of the majority, unfortunately does not exist . Our current system of Elections , still leave the majority of the people powerless !! populism and elitism is here to stay!!
Now that Jacob Zuma has finally left the ANC, I wonder which sacrificial goat are you going to use to create saucy-juicy crap to raise the sale of your paper. We are tired of Jacob Zuma this, Jacob Zuma that. Try to source out the real issues troubling this country, matters that are real to this country that you are shying away from!
For instance: the WHO’s policy on coal (carbon emission and healthy environment) and the transportation of coal out of this country to Europe, the same countries that are conning and hiding behind Global Warming, while we are being subjected to loadshedding for the past 5 years and the country is plunged in darkness.
Good analysis with few things that need correction. Human Rights Commission said in its report that Zuma’s incarceration played no role and was not the cause of riots. Judge Squires pointed out that he never said there was corrupt relationship between Shaik and Zuma. Ngcuka once admitted that he was instructed to arrest Zuma without evidence that would stand in a court of law. Most accusations are based on hearsay but then it’s politics.
“On his path of destruction, he was supported, enabled and often encouraged by people who now say they want nothing to do with him.”
This was in reference to the members of his ANC leadership gang and there’s no surprise in them having supported him when he had gravy to dole out. What isn’t mentioned in this piece or pretty much anywhere else is that the addled SA electorate voted for the party that had his face on its posters in two national elections. For some reason it seems to be politically incorrect to call people out for choosing someone as patently corrupt and amoral as Zuma as their president.
Shocking that a significant number of commentators here thinks that ANC MPs should have supported the votes of no confidence sponsored by the opposition. I suspect that it’s because of frustration, naivety or a complete understanding of the ANC.
Zuma still enjoyed support of the ANC branches, so those MPs would have been recalled from parliament and expelled from the ANC if they voted with the opposition. Remember that most of those no confidence votes were not conducted through a secret ballot.
Others suggest that Ramaphosa was deputy president all those years, which is wrong, he only became deputy president in the 2nd term of Zuma and he had to play a long game.
Lastly, Electoral democracy gives you a Lincoln and also gives you a Hitler.
I am compelled to come to Zuma’s defence on the grounds that He was a broken man presiding over a broken country. South Africa should come to terms with it’s historical tragedy. A tragedy stemming from the brutal dislocation of our ancestors from their ancestral lands. The historical amnesia that the likes of Mr Grootes suffer from is amusing if not disengenuous. It is important to locate President Zuma within a historical context of settled colonialism and the disenfranchisement of the African majority from the life of the nation. Daily Maverick should be true to the tragedy of the South Africa of our beginning
Would all of that account for his predilection for extra marital and inter generational baby making or only for his shameless theft of the resources of the state?
President Zuma has been used as a Scape goat to hide from the real culprit that plagues our or not my country, but someone else’s country. South Africa has not been true to itself. It lives in an alternate universe totally divorced from the historical and current reality of real material conditions million of people finding themselves in. The sweeping of historical injustices under the carpet such as the dispossession of land is a symptom of a country and a people who are not prepared to self introspect and come to terms with very hard things that have shaped our land
That’s an enormously wordy non-answer. I take it that you are of the view that people like Zuma are not responsible for any of their own actions because reasons. Stealing the futures of the poor and dispossessed to buy bling is inexcusable and doubly so when you pretend to be their saviour.
Zapiro nailed it; how can the commission be so supine?
Senior politicians surrounding Zuma, during his reign, are just as well accountable for the destruction of the ANC, Government, and the Country. Why have they not brought forward to account for their cover up ??
Those who were able to bathe in the firepool will miss him greatly.
One hopes SA will make wise choices in our political leaders!
Spot on!
Last part is most distressing and confirms the ANC will die, simply because thier entire system (DNA), is corrupt. They cannot root it out as it is everywhere…
They are like a person who refused to have a few miles removed, and years later find the cancer has now spread to the entire body, and no organ can be saved without killing the whole entity….
What a waste, but worse than than that, because that “cancer” of corruption has now spread to every single organ within our country and will fester for generations.
We are now a failed state.
The only thing keeping us going is the strength and ingenuity of the vibrant ( can do/ make a plan) South African people.
Anc is long dead it is in the hands of Zuma the savior to resurrect the dead bones of the Anc or it is history untold
Thank you Stephen Grootes. At last the truth is being written of the damage Jacob Zuma has done to our country and the ANC, even though he claimed to be working for the good of our beloved country.
But I write to ask you to investigate and write further of the damage Zuma did to our State institutions and structures of our society. You have written of his serious lack of morality in private and public life, but he also brought havoc to our state institutions.
No sooner was he in power when he abolished the Scorpians, disrupted and weakened SARS, failed with ESKOM, trying to make a fortune with Putin’s nuclear deal, bringing havoc to our economy when he sacked Nene for refusing sign off on the Rosatom nuclear.
The list goes on. Please spell them out further for us, Stephen.