This was not the first time Zuma had been in legal troubles. During the apartheid era, he found himself exiled, and was also for a time in the same prison with Nelson Mandela. More recently, he found himself the center of a rape accusation, during which he defended himself by insisting the sex was consensual, and further outraged feminists and other critics when, in explaining the circumstances of his sexual liaison with a woman who also happened to be an AIDS victim, explained that after intercourse he made sure he showered immediately in order to ward off infection.
He has also received criticism from many quarters because he is a practicing polygamist. The biggest question about Zuma's ascension to the presidency seems to be which one of his six wives will be his official first lady, or whether this duty will in fact be assumed by his daughter, who is described as his closest confidante and supporter.
There is one potential hurdle for Zuma, however, which could pose a more serious obstacle to his chances of assuming the office of President of South Africa-the potential and threatened split from the ANC by supporters of former President Mbeki.
To a degree, this might appear on the surface to be an outgrowth of tribal rivalries. The Zulus, though the largest tribe within South Africa, have previously held next to no power within the ANC, and therefore, owing to the monopoly of power the ANC has held over the nation's politics, they have enjoyed practically no influence whatsoever. Zuma's election and influence stands to change all of that, and in fact his position as the head of the ANC already has. For the first time, the Zulus have a sea at the table-a very prominent one. Still, there are other more subtle forces at work here than the mere influence of tribal rivalries.
The ANC has recently formed an alliance with the South African Communist Party, and though it is unsure just how aligned Zuma is with them, it is possibly telling that he has dispatched cadres into various institutions as a means of weeding out "intellectuals". He has also made noises about limiting the independent power of the South African judiciary.
At rallies he has been known to sing an old song from his revolutionary anti-apartheid days, "Bring Me My Machine Gun"-possibly not the most appropriate tune with which to signal what Zuma has promised his skeptical critics will be a return to the conciliatory policies of the Mandela era.
Though Zuma is apparently a Christian, like the vast majority of Zulus, who happen to be the most conservative tribe in South Africa-according to Patrick Joubert Conlon, who was formerly a white citizen of South Africa-it may well be cause for concern that the most pro-business faction of the ANC, led by Mr. Mbeki, is now out of power, while the strongest alliance within the party seems to be with the communist faction.
Does Jacob Zuma have the potential to be a healing and conciliatory influence within South African politics, as he proclaims his intentions are, or is this just another personality cult in the making? Will he turn out to be just another in a long line of third world thugs destined to reign over yet another dismal epoch in post-colonial African political history? Or, will he just turn out to be a clownish figure with no real clue as to the proper handling of power once he has it tentatively within his grasp for a relatively brief period of time? Only time will tell.
Jacob Zuma participating in what appears to be some sort of ritual tribal dance while dressed in what is described as traditional Zulu attire. Note the gym shoes.
1 comment:
Getting rid of the Mbeki leadership of the ANC, was a throw the bums out move. It was against any concept of a leader for life. It was a popular move. All of his years in power, he has been servile. The masses are moving left. He is seens as a liberal.
Even with apartheid gone, the white minority controls the wealth. Instead of finishing the revolution, the ANC adopted the Stalinist two stage revolution theory, the idea socialism will come later.
Mbeki's new party, like all opposition parties to the main working class parties, will be small. I support the ANC, just like I support the Labor Party in Britain, the PSUV in Venezuela etc. Little can be accomplished outside it.
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