Zuma ignores the warning signs

27/04/2011 President Jacob Zuma at the Union Building during the freedom day celebration. Picture : Sizwe Ndingane

27/04/2011 President Jacob Zuma at the Union Building during the freedom day celebration. Picture : Sizwe Ndingane

Published Oct 23, 2014

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As if existing in some strange parallel universe, Zuma has taken a decision to ignore national issues, says Mmusi Maimane.

Pretoria - With so many crises facing South Africa and President Jacob Zuma, it is completely bizarre that he would pen an opinion piece in which he cherry-picks some minor successes of his administration while intentionally ignoring the warning lights flashing starkly on the dashboard of our nation. ( “SA – where life improves every day”- October 9).

A true leader would surely not write about their rose-tinted view of the state of the nation, but instead choose to take the nation into his confidence about how he intends to address the various issues that plague South Africa daily.

Everything from the undermining of the constitution by ANC MPs in the Nkandla ad hoc committee to a water crisis, which could, if not properly addressed, affect not just Gauteng but other parts of the country.

As if existing in some strange parallel universe, Zuma has taken a decision to ignore these national issues and instead award himself a self-congratulatory pat on the back.

This is the mark of a president who is wilfully unaware of the real state of the nation and hopelessly out of touch with the issues of the day.

In recent days, former national director of public prosecutions (NDPP), Vusi Pikoli, wrote a public response given that his name had been thrown around, with the release of the incomplete transcripts of the infamous Spy Tapes.

In his account, Pikoli wrote that it is “his considered view” that former acting NDPP Mokotedi Mpshe had “abandoned his duty to prosecute without fear or favour and capitulated to the immense political pressure he and the NPA were under”.

Not much has changed since then, as Zuma drags the NPA through the mud in an attempt to ensure that politics reigns supreme over the sanctity of the rule of law. The president has threatened to haul the current NDPP, Mxolisi Nxasana, before a commission of inquiry; and almost 100 days have passed since that announcement was made, yet nothing has materialised.

From where I sit it’s patently obvious that Zuma is flexing his political muscle to ensure he actually never has to have his “day in court”.

Zuma views the rule of law with much disdain. This is explicitly apparent from the suspicious manner in which the charges of money laundering, racketeering and corruption were dropped and, more recently, how he and his toadying Luthuli House deployees have handled the Secure in Comfort report by the public protector.

The president and the ANC have taken every dubious step available to them to ensure that “Number 1” never pays his share, as instructed by the public protector, of the R246 million renovations to his private Nkandla residence.

The dishonest playbook being used by the ANC and Zuma is pushing South Africa towards a constitutional crisis. To fully articulate the extent of this crisis, we must understand that the constitution is the most supreme law of the Republic, and a threat to it, is a threat to democracy and all that we stand for. If we abandon our constitution, what are we left with? Instead of addressing these pressing matters, Zuma would rather boast about the work that the government should be doing.

The proposed R1 trillion nuclear deal with Russia, which has been done under a veil of secrecy so thick that a few weeks before it was announced the president himself travelled to Russia with his state security minister, and on a separate occasion, the energy minister reportedly signed the deal without witnesses.

Furthermore, a nuclear project of this scale is in direct contradiction to the National Development Plan (NDP) and, given the magnitude of economic challenges we face, is simply unaffordable.

This past week, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) downgraded its economic growth outlook for South Africa – the second downgrade this year.

The IMF projects that South Africa’s ailing economy will only achieve 1.4 percent growth this year, from an equally uninspiring 1.7 percent. Clearly, there are problems. Though the president’s spin machine is working overtime, by declaring that this month he will focus on the economy and local government.

Given our experience with the president, we can expect more of the same poor outcomes. The president is woefully short on solutions while the unemployment lines grow longer

Gauteng, the economic hub of our nation, is facing a major water crisis, yet the president is nowhere to be seen on the issue. Service delivery at a local level is in meltdown in large parts of the country and our citizens are forced to take to the streets to protest for even the most basic of services. Instead of offering solutions for these pressing matters, Zuma would rather boast about the work that government should be doing.

It is obvious that Zuma continues to flounder in the backwaters. He is out of touch and out his depth. We need a renewed vigour to tackle the challenges of our time, we need innovative solutions and bold initiatives to move our country forward.

Instead of inspiring confidence, the president’s piece only leaves us wondering just how long can we continue to accommodate a man who is only interested in looking after himself to the detriment of citizens, the rule of law and our constitution.

* Mmusi Maimane MP is the DA’s Parliamentary leader.

** The views expressed here are not necessarily those of Independent Media.

Pretoria News

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