Parliament - Opposition parties went for the jugular during the first day of debate on President Jacob Zuma’s State of the Nation Address on Tuesday, tearing into the president and the state of the economy and calling on him to resign.
ANC speakers, however, defended the government’s economic performance.
DA leader Mmusi Maimane invoked the hit Star Wars film series to proclaim that the president lived on “Planet Zuma”, in a “galaxy far, far away” and a “parallel universe”.
Read: Mbalula catches feelings over #PlanetZuma
It was a place where a swimming pool was called a fire pool, Maimane said, referring to Police Minister Nathi Nhleko’s attempts to justify spending on Zuma’s Nkandla home, and where “a president can replace an excellent finance minister with a backbencher that nobody has ever heard of”.
Referring to the ANC’s stout defence of the president over the Nkandla saga, Maimane said the party had been sucked in by the gravitational pull of “Planet Zuma” and gone from being the “defender of freedom” to “the defender of just one man”.
ANC MPs knew the damage he was doing to the party and country but “not one of you has the guts to speak out against what is happening”, Maimane said.
But Nkandla paled into insignificance compared to the price paid by South Africans during Zuma’s term. “Instead of redressing the structural inequalities of apartheid, you built yourself a big house on the backs of poor South Africans.”
EFF leader Julius Malema was equally scathing, saying that unlike the president, he wanted to talk about “a country where more than 26 million people live in absolute poverty”.
The white minority controlled the economy because the “former liberation movement” had betrayed its principles, he said.
Congestion in the townships meant people lived “like pigs” and, even when they died, were forced to share graves.
He attacked Zuma for his links to the Gupta family, saying that instead of taking action after the Waterkloof incident - when guests for a Gupta family wedding landed at the military air base near Pretoria - Zuma had continued to attend their events and encourage his ministers to do the same.
Malema apologised to former president Thabo Mbeki for helping to remove him, saying, “We were misled by this man (Zuma)”.
Zuma’s legacy could be summarised as Mshini Wam (his trademark song), Nkandla and the Guptas, Malema said, before characterising Zuma as an illegitimate president and leading his MPs out of the House.
IFP leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi congratulated Zuma for being frank in his assessment of the state of the economy but said it fell short of addressing the crisis.
UDM leader Bantu Holomisa called for a transformation indaba to address the economic crisis, before saying the Nkandla saga had damaged confidence in Zuma and he should resign “with dignity”.
Also read: Holomisa asks for Zuma’s exit strategy
Speaking first, Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies sketched the global context affecting the economy, saying conditions including a slump in commodity prices would hit economies like South Africa “right in our soft underbellies”.
The speakers to follow would try to pin this on the ANC government, but those offering “quick fixes” were “the equivalent of snake-oil salesmen”, Davies said.
The country had strengths and capacities it should build on, Davies said, before listing successes in the clothing and textiles, automotive, electronics and film sectors as the results of the government’s policy framework and developmental tariff setting, among others.
Deputy Minister of Mineral Resources Godfrey Oliphant said the unsettled global order was reflected in the rand exchange rate, but this had a positive effect on mining.
Commodities like gold were doing well, while platinum was stabilising and the country remained an attractive investment destination.
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Tourism Minister Derek Hanekom said while the sector had struggled last year, all indications were that 2016 would be a “bumper year”. He welcomed the R100m towards promoting domestic tourism announced by Zuma last week.
Human Settlements Minister Lindiwe Sisulu said the opposition had offered the usual “moans and groans”.
“Great minds discuss ideas, average minds discuss events, weak minds discuss people,” she said.
The achievements of the government were recognised internationally.
Turning to the question of racism, she said whites failed to acknowledge its existence, forgetting that black people lived with it, before urging Maimane to do some soul searching. “Look at everybody you have around you. And watch it,” she said.
ANC spokesman Zizi Kodwa said opposition parties had descended to name-calling, posturing and insults instead of engaging in substantive debate in SONA. - Additional reporting by Siyabonga Mkhwanazi
Political Bureau