Johannesburg - Through his reckless decisions it has become clear that President Jacob Zuma is impervious to criticism and accountable government.
In fact, the ANC is guilty of creating a culture of entitlement and a state where political intolerance is the order of the day, with critical voices being fired left, right and centre for expressing their opinions.
This is according to academic Rhoda Kadalie, the executive director of the Impumelelo Stellenbosch Academy for Social Innovation.
She was one of the speakers at a seminar hosted by the University of Stellenbosch Business School and the Institute for Futures Research at the Medical Research Council in Parow, Cape Town, on Thursday.
Kadalie’s remarks come against the backdrop of those made by struggle stalwart Denis Goldberg when he reportedly told an audience in London that he feared the ANC had turned South Africa into a crony state.
Kadalie said the ruling party had wrecked the economy, a move which had seen many joining the ranks of the unemployed. Zuma’s contempt for South Africans, she said, was demonstrated by the “unceremonious way” he fired Nhlanhla Nene as finance minister.
The move led to billions of rand being wiped from the economy, but Zuma defended the decision, saying it was “not breaking the economy” and that the matter had been “exaggerated”.
“After the Nkandla scandal, the Prasa scandal, then the proposed nuclear deal with Russia and the South African Airways deal that led to the firing of minister Nene, it becomes clear that the president is impervious to criticism and an accountable government,” she said.
She also weighed in on the #FeesMustFall movement, and labelled the country’s education system pathetic, saying: “When I was a student, I worked to pay for my own admission fees. But because our education system is so pathetic, we compensate for what is going on at universities and are breeding a culture of entitlement.”
Kadalie added: “It is up to civil society and our watchdog institutions to save South Africa.”
Despite repeated attempts, ANC spokesman Zizi Kodwa couldn’t be reached for comment.
The Star