By Jan Masila,
USA
On January 4th, the honorable president of the Republic of South Africa Jacob Zuma stunned the world by staging what his office called a private ceremony which was in effect a traditional event to solemnize his marriage to Tobeka Madiba.
USA
On January 4th, the honorable president of the Republic of South Africa Jacob Zuma stunned the world by staging what his office called a private ceremony which was in effect a traditional event to solemnize his marriage to Tobeka Madiba.
Members of the press were barred from covering the event but this did not prevent them from accessing images of the president clad in his Zulu traditional regalia showing his dancing prowess. President Zuma like any other citizen of the world has a right to live his life the way he deems right, but he seems to have failed to realize that he is not any other villager in Kwazulu Natal but the president of South Africa.
When one runs for a public office and especially that of the presidency, they have a duty to the public and one of such duties is to live responsibly and account for their behaviors in private and public. If this be a test, then it is a test president Zuma has failed miserably for he has continued to be associated with bad behavior something many believed he would abandon after assuming the presidency.
President Zuma heads Africa’s most powerful nation with a leading economy and international respect. With such credentials, South Africa is always seen as the super power of Africa and that focuses a lot of attention to anything that happens to this great country within International media. It is no wonder that Zuma’s marriage has caused so much stir across the globe and in the continent to the effect that it brought the debate of polygamy back on the table.
The question is; was this genuine case of polygamy or was it a selfish act of self gratification? Analysts are divided as to what is the right answer but when reliable sources indicate that Mr. Zuma has engaged at least two more brides, the answer is obvious.
South Africa does not need a president like Zuma, the challenges of this African power need to be addressed by a leader who is ready to shed tribal loyalties for the sake of spearheading a unifying agenda for the nation the way Nelson Mandela did after assuming power straight from detention.
Presidents are role models for the young generation; they motivate and shape the views and ideals of the society. President Zuma has not been a good role model to the youth of South Africa, a country with one of the highest rates of HIV infection in the world. While many governments around the world and specifically their leaders have been in the fore front of fighting the AIDS pandemic president Zuma has been attracting the headlines with stories about his sexuality and morality. It would be right to say that he has not yet shed his populist image to embrace statesmanship a dubious distinction since he was elected on a platform of shaping the politics of South Africa and promoting national integration.
It is not clear what agenda Zuma has in store for South Africa, since taking office in May 2009, unemployment has been on the rise and tensions continue to build between indigenous South African and immigrants from the rest of the continent whom they accuse of taking their jobs. Animosity continues to grow between people of different races and there is a fear of blood bath if these concerns are not addressed. All these are vital national issues that require leadership and intervention which president Zuma has completely failed to provide.
It is a shame that instead of putting the interests of the struggling poor in South Africa as per his campaign manifesto, Zuma has been basking in the glory of occupying the presidency and high on his to do list is to marry all his girlfriends. This is shameful and despicable. A president of South Africa or any other nation should rise above cheap publicity, tribal affiliations and promote an agenda that addresses the needs of the whole country.
It is in this regard that I observe just like many other people that Zuma is dragging South Africa and the whole continent to the dark ages of primitive practices and it is a shame we can’t afford in the 21st century
