Nude Zuma painting shows 'rape of SA'

Ayanda Mabulu's latest nude painting of President Jacob Zuma has angered the ANC Women's League.

Ayanda Mabulu's latest nude painting of President Jacob Zuma has angered the ANC Women's League.

Published Oct 12, 2015

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Durban - Ayanda Mabulu has released another controversial artwork featuring a nude President Jacob Zuma.

The painting, titled Spear Down My Throat (The Pornography of Power), depicts President Jacob Zuma with his penis down the throat of a woman, who the artist says represents the country, while she is being penetrated by a hyena in a Victorian suit.

At the same time, the woman is also being milked into an urn with an ANC label.

The painting has been posted on the Facebook page of the magazine Culture Review and is attracting both negative and positve comments.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE PAINTING. WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT

In an interview with Culture Review, Mabulu said he felt the country was being turned into “a slut”.

“This young democracy of ours is being molested in many ways and raped continuously. I feel like our leaders have been turned into a lynch clan. We have been robbed out of what’s rightfully ours,” he said.

The backdrop of the painting is a circus tent which Mabula said represents Parliament.

“In a circus you will see hyenas laughing. Hyenas will laugh at you as they dig deep into your skin,” he told Culture Review.

Mabulu also said in the interview that his work was driven by love.

“I can’t watch my people suffer at the hands of an establishment that is in power. I love my people. This painting is a call to reject our current condition as black people, to say that this will not happen in our country, and not in our name. We call for change,” he said.

In 2013, Mabulu’s controversial painting Yakhal'inkomo might have been the most talked about artwork at the FNB Joburg Art Fair.  The painting depicting Zuma's perceived role in the Marikana shooting was reportedly sold for R89 000.

   In 2010, Mabulu's painting Ngcono ihlwempu kunesibhanxo sesityebi - which means “Better poor than a rich puppet” - also featured a nude Zuma with other political figures.

It is not clear when or where his new artwork will go on display.

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* We're streamlining comments on this story, so please come talk to us on social media. Our question: Do you agree/disagree with Ayanda Mabulu's representation of South Africa? Tell us why using the hashtag: #ZumaPainting

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