FROM THE SUBLIME TO THE RIDICULOUS
Just when you think that nothing more ridiculous could happen in South Africa you can be sure the President Zuma or one of his Lackeys will come along and prove that there is no limit to what they can do.
In recent weeks we have been inundated with a multitude of shenanigans.
Last Wednesday South Africa was treated to the spectacle of the president doing a contortionist act while chastising members for the pronunciation of “Nkandla” while at the same time giggling Heh.. heh… heh. Not realising that of his pronunciation of English and Afrikaans words leave much to be desired.
Forget the pronunciation Zuma is unable to even say certain words like SORRY, I was wrong; how much must I PAYBACK?; or even better I RESIGN.
But we are getting used to the giggling, he did the same thing when members of the police force, dressed as waiters, forcefully removed members of parliament out of the National Assembly, against the law.
He carried on to tell members not to turn Parliament into a kindergarten because he is embarrassed when he is with his oversees with foreign counterparts. However, the next day in Parliament his deputy minister of Trade and Industry Mzwandile Masina mouthed “I’ll F*#&k you up”. The Speakers office still has not ruled if this is out of order yet – one week later!
This is not unusual for this deputy minister he is previously reported by Hogarth in the Sunday Times to having told Irwin Jim, of Numsa, to “F*#&k Off” and called ex health minister Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge a “h**”. Apparently this does not embarrass the president !
The next day we were treated to Nathi Nhleko the police minister, a man whose career depends on Zuma’s goodwill, produced his own report which reached the conclusion that President Zuma should not pay back a cent for these “essential security upgrades” .
These “essential security upgrades” included a swimming pool, an amphitheatre, a chicken run and a visitors’ centre. A fairly humble collection of traditional buildings on a rural hillside has been transformed into something more like a luxury holiday resort.
The minister’s report details how conveniently the mosaic-inlayed swimming pool costing R3,9mil can double as an essential source of water for fighting fires. A specialist pool builder is reported to have said that he would build a full Olympic standard pool for this cost. No one has explained why a normal concrete reservoir, costing less than R1mil would suffice.
To justify his report Nhleko showed a slapstick video of how the hapless municipal fire department did not have the equipment or capacity to put out a fire at Nkandla. This comical video ends with a ridiculously dramatic version of O Sole Mio’
.O sole mio” is a globally known Neapolitan song written in 1898. Its lyrics were written by Giovanni Capurro and the music was composed by Eduardo di Capua. There are other versions of “’O sole mio” but it is usually sung in the original Neapolitan language. ’O sole mio is the Neapolitan equivalent of standard Italian Il sole mio and translates literally as “my sunshine”.
Little wonder that Nhleko was shown wiping the sweat off his brow. I too would be sweating if I had to put my name and signature to such an absurd report. Especially considering that this is nearly 10 times what taxpayers spent on Nelson Mandela’s two homes, and 20 times what it cost to secure Thabo Mbeki’s house.
South Africans were still reeling from this sanctimonious and most depressing report and then the USA FBI announced that it was investigating allegations of corruption in FIFA which included an alleged payment of $10mil R120mil) to Jack Warner for his support for the 2010 bid. Warner was at the time president of Concacaf (the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football)
Danny Jordaan, SAFA CEO and recently elected mayor of Port Elizabeth, as well as Sports minister Fikile Mbalula immediately jumped into action and denied the allegations. Both of them claimed that the 2010 world cup had a clean audit and therefore the allegations could not be true. Of course they got a clean audit, the fund went straight from FIFA to Concacaf and not through South Africa.
However by Sunday a letter signed by Dr Molefi Oliphant Chairperson of SAFA was produced requesting FIFA to pay $10mil to CONCACAF from the funds that were to be transferred to South Africa for the hosting of the 2010 world cup.
Jordaan once again jumped in confirming that $10m was paid to Concacaf in 2008 as South Africa’s contribution towards their football development fund, but it was not a bribe. By now several high ranking officials were arrested in Zurich while Warner was arrested in Trinidad. Little wonder that Luthuli House advised Danny Jordaan to cancel his plans to attend the FIFA Congress in Switzerland, they would not have allowed their new ‘clean’ Mayor of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro (Port Elizabeth) to be arrested in a corruption case.
If I was a resident of Port Elizabeth I would be most worried about the municipal finances!
The sad thing is that this ANC government treats all of us as if we are fools, but they will get the message as the rising tide against them becomes a tsunami.
I never thought that I would ever agree with the EFF but I doubt if I could describe the president better than they did in a recent press release, (he is a ) “…. super unethical and uncontrollable parasitic appetite for public resources. We are confronted with an inarticulate homophobic, sexist, afrophobic and a kleptomaniac who now thinks he is the ideologue of our times,” the party said.
I am more convinced than ever that Allan Paton was correct when he wrote “Cry the beloved country”.
Until next week,
CLIVE HATCH
This newsletter is published by Clive Hatch former Leader of the Opposition in the Mpumalanga Provincial Legislature and former DA Provincial Leader. These views are my personal views and do not represent those of any other person or organisation.
E-Mail: clive.hatch265@gmail.com
