The people have spoken
Mail & Guardian readers responded in droves to this website’s call for suggestions about what President Jacob Zuma should tackle first.
Hundreds of readers responded with calls for electrification and water and sanitation—especially in the Eastern Cape—as well as job creation. Others said they needed housing and there were calls to improve healthcare.
What was remarkable about the responses was that the respondents seemed to address Zuma—in stark contrast to former president Thabo Mbeki—as a friend or a man of the people. Many writers adressed Zuma him by his clan name Msholozi and wished him well in his tenure.
The ruling party may have missed a two-thirds majority by a whisker, but their message to the ordinary South African, that of nation-building and shared goals, struck a chord. South Africans seem prepared, in this election at least, to give the ANC the benefit of the doubt. This was despite a housing backlog, corruption and perceived shortcomings in healthcare and education.
The succession is over and all talk of corruption trials are now behind us. Zuma can get on with governing, and this weekend will provide answers into how he plans to rule when he names his Cabinet. But whoever he picks will have their work cut out for them.
| FULL SPEED AHEAD | NOT SO FAST |
| Joel Santana In a brave move Bafana Bafana coach Joel Santana this week dropped “bad boy” Benni McCarthy from the national squad to play in next month’s Fifa Confederations Cup, opening up the way for other talented players to make their mark. |  Department of Home AffairsThis department has issued thousands of fraudulent passports, identity documents and work permits, the US said in a critical report this week. The department needs a shake up and the report should serve as a warning to the incoming government. |
Most-read stories
April 22 to 30 2009
1. And the winners are ...
At least 10 new faces are expected to adorn Cabinet positions shortly after Jacob Zuma’s inauguration next month.
2. The face of patronage
Brian Hlongwa is the face of patronage in the 21st century. He is the subject of serious allegations of corruption. If president-designate Jacob Zuma is genuine about his hustings’ promise to tackle graft, then a detailed investigation into Hlongwa should be his first step.
3. ANC will bring DA ‘to book’ in Western Cape
The African National Congress will bring the Democratic Alliance “to book” for its selective service delivery and treatment of poor people in the Western Cape, the party’s elections coordinator Chris Nissen said on Wednesday.
4. Zuma: ‘Those not put in govt must not cry’
Jacob Zuma has warned there would be no jobs for friends in his new Cabinet, as criticism within the ANC mounted against some of the new premiers.
5. Zuma set to toughen stance on Zimbabwe
Jacob Zuma will inherit a still-simmering crisis in neighbouring Zimbabwe, where analysts said he’s unlikely to tread as softly as his predecessor Thabo Mbeki.
6. ANC goes 50-50 on premiers
The ANC achieved its 50-50 of gender balance when it nominated four women and four men to head the provincial governments it controls.
7. Splitting ministries
A major overhaul of government is on the cards as President Jacob Zuma moves to expand Cabinet ministries and introduce a planning commission to speed up service delivery.
8. Smoke and mirrors
Jacob Zuma’s election victory in South Africa has been welcomed by ministers in Zimbabwe as intensifying pressure on President Robert Mugabe.
9. Malema: Helen Zille a ‘racist little girl’
African National Congress Youth League president Julius Malema on Friday called Democratic Alliance leader Helen Zille “a racist little girl”.
10. Zuma election challenged by Cope
The election of Jacob Zuma as president of the country was challenged on Wednesday by the nomination of the presidential candidate of the Congress of the People, Mvume Dandala, by his party.
