Our Glorious Breeder
Dear President Zuma,
I would like to congratulate you on your good governance and charm. From my angle you have done very well in these two departments. I am afraid the same cannot be said of your moral judgment.
You are an utter disgrace and an embarrassment among all African democracies. I cannot believe that you, the president of South Africa, the father of the nation, are again dragging us through this stinking mud, as you did in 2006. On World Aids Day you said, ‘we must all take personal responsibility for our actions”, and you claim that in the Sonono Khoza case you have done so. But how could you, the first citizen of this country, behave like a wild, good-for-nothing herdboy? How can paying inhlawulo for impregnating your friend’s daughter, when you have three wives and a fiancée, be taking responsible action?
It seems to me you have no respect for your wives to have publicly embarrassed them so. The same goes for their families. Even your closest buddies in the ANC and the alliance were shocked by what you did.
Mr President, please resign. You have lost a lot of kilograms in the political arena and you are now a has-been heavyweight, a mosquito-weight. The ground you are walking on is too thin even for your mosquito-weight. If I could I would emigrate for the duration of your term of office. — Chris Khoza, Bushbuckridge
I am appalled not only by the Zuma buffoonery but by the nature of the comment on his untidy lifestyle. So what if King Solomon had 700 wives? If people such as Thema Phakathi (Letters, February 5) want to quote biblical nonsense, why not go straight to Leviticus 25:44 and suggest a couple of Zimbabwean slaves be purchased to help with the nappy-changing? Or how about a quick visit to Exodus 21:7 to help motivate for the sale of some of the excess Zuma offspring into slavery? — Carlos Liltved
South Africans’ hypocrisy is nauseating. The furore around JZ is nothing but scoring political points. For any partners there is a process of courtship and JZ has demonstrated in almost all his relationships or marriages that they have had kids before they were married. He has subsequently taken responsibility and married the spouses. The Sonono Khoza affair is no different.
Because JZ respects cultural rights and the sanctity of marriage, he will take Sonono Khoza down the aisle. Why are we interfering in two consenting adults’ affairs? — Patrick Rampai, Klerksdorp
We must admit Zuma’s attitude is only half the problem (if it is one at all). The real issue is morals in society. As long as status and material gain reign supreme, powerful men will have their way. — Michel Maikoro, Pretoria
I would like President Zuma not to furnish politically correct apologies but to respond with realities. We don’t endorse conmen! — Israel Ben Nkosi, Cape Town
What has happened to the alliance of conservative churches with a direct line to the president? Rhema and the rest were so vocal about ‘moral” issues such as gay marriage and abortion. But when it comes to polygamy, promiscuity and adultery in high places, all we get is a deafening silence. — Miles Seward, Cape Town
And about the arms deal —
Dear Mr President,
As you are aware, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and former president FW de Klerk in December 2008 jointly petitioned President Kgalema Motlanthe urging him to appoint a judicial commission of inquiry into the arms deal. The Scorpions in November 2008 had raided BAE premises in South Africa and affidavits in my possession detail how BAE paid bribes of £115-million (R1.4-billion) to secure its arms deal contracts, including to whom and into which bank accounts those bribes were paid.
The archbishop and former president were rebuffed with the suggestion that they ‘take the information to the police”. Charges of money laundering and perjury had previously been filed, which the prosecuting authorities have failed even to investigate. There has also been no follow-up or prosecutions on the revelations of BAE’s corrupt activities in South Africa.
It is worth noting that the ANC recalled President Thabo Mbeki in September 2008 because of the arms deal scandal and the cover-up he instigated. In the judgment of Justice Chris Nicholson, on which the ANC placed reliance in recalling President Thabo Mbeki, a call is made for a commission of inquiry into the allegations of corruption.
Given your repeated commitments to deal seriously with corruption and your then recent accession to the presidency, you were petitioned in June 2009 to appoint a judicial commission. You replied in July that my papers were ‘vague and embarrassing” and that there was ‘no case for an inquiry”. That your advisers very seriously misdirected you is now confirmed by the decision announced on Friday February 5 2010 in Washington DC that BAE be fined US$400-million (R3.1-billion) for corruption and conspiracy.
BAE has now been confirmed by British and United States authorities as a corporate criminal entity with a very long and repeated history of using bribes to secure arms contracts. Chapter four of the Joint Investigation Team report into the arms deal confirms that the BAE contracts were severely flawed by tendering irregularities and the then secretary for defence honourably resigned from office rather than become a party to such malpractices.
The ‘remedies in case of bribes” clauses in those BAE supply contracts (clause 20) unambiguously confirm that the South African government may now ‘summarily cancel the Agreement and claim compensation”. Most of the BAE/Saab Gripen fighter aircraft have not yet been delivered and their Barclays Bank loan agreements extend until the year 2019. Cancellation of these contracts would result in immediate savings to taxpayers — and excluding future operating expenses — of an estimated R30-billion.
Accordingly, I request that during your State of the Nation address to Parliament on Thursday you announce that:
- The BAE Hawk and BAE/Saab Gripen contracts have summarily been cancelled in terms of the bribery clauses;
- South Africa will instigate claims against BAE and the British government’s export credit guarantee department for such compensation as is due and will tender the return of all armaments delivered in terms of the BAE arms deal against repayment of all amounts paid to date; and
- BAE will be blacklisted from all future government procurements.
In addition, or as an alternative to the cancellation now, I request that a thorough independent judicial commission of inquiry into the arms deal urgently be appointed by you in the interests of corruption-free governance and on the basis that the nation could benefit considerably in moral and financial terms from cancellation of all arms deals that are tainted by fraud and corruption.
I also respectfully point out that, in light of these developments concerning BAE and the affidavits referred to in this letter, it would be illegal and irrational for you to decline to appoint a judicial commission of inquiry in terms of your constitutional obligations. — Terry Crawford-Browne, Cape Town (letter also sent to Tuynhuys)
Keep it clean, guys
Why is good writing giving way to excessive use of scatological, lavatorial, adolescent expletives and religious names used as expletives? I apologise to adolescents who write well.
Surely the Mail & Guardian does not have to publish writers who resort to expletives? I have noticed a growing trend of ‘dumbing down” in one of my favourite newspapers. Examples abound:
On January 8, in a letter, Ed Couzens asked of Schabir Schaik: ‘What the fuck is he doing driving?” On January 15, Bruce Clark called John Carlin’s letter on Shaun de Waal’s review of Invictus ‘the most polite and elegant ‘Fuck you’ I have ever read”. This is neither polite nor elegant.
Lines from Chris Roper include ‘kak stereotyping journalism”, ‘yes, you fuckers, we know”, ‘analysis and shit”, ‘Aids, Jesus, Bob, there’s Aids everywhere”, ‘blah fucking blah” — Really sloppy writing.
Charlotte Bauer resorted to the use of ‘poes” sometime in December last year. I have put that M&G into the recycling, so I cannot give you the date. To describe a despicable man with a word for a part of the female anatomy is considered the ultimate insult — why? Why debase English in this way?
‘The dialectics of double ply” by Yunus Momoniat (with photograph of woman on loo) was vaguely amusing, but not up to the standard of previous Body Language columns.
Now, thank you for some really thought-provoking articles:
Momoniat’s ‘The end of capitalism as we know it” (January 8), outlining sociologist Immanuel Wallerstein’s holistic treatment of politics, economics and history.
Kevin Davie has such a broad approach. He ranges from sport (Graeme Pope-Ellis, January 15) to the ‘Green economy” and ‘Eskom’s Humpty Dumpty” (January 8).
Thanks also for the editor’s note, ‘Flawed but substantially true”, on the apology to Robert Gumede. Very well handled.
Madam and Eve are still relevant and very funny. The Friday supplement is essential reading for those who enjoy reading, the arts, theatre, music, movies and TV. Congratulations to the editor.
‘New approach to sex work” (February 5) by Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge and Loveday Penn Kekana was thought-provoking. The ‘Baby Shower” by Zapiro is a delight! Michelle le Roux’s ‘The dark side of lawfare” very clearly shows us how fragile our Constitution is. — F Murray
No ‘ceiling’ for women in the IFP
Your reporter Niren Tolsi indulges in a sensational and irresponsible guessing exercise in his piece ‘Patriarchy drives IFP deployment” (February 5).
Zanele Magwaza-Msibi is a product of the IFP’s process of renewal and regeneration. She was elected national chairperson of the party in 2005 — the first woman to hold such a position. She was deployed as mayor of the Zululand District Municipality in 2000 and again in 2006. She was appointed as the IFP premier candidate for KwaZulu-Natal in the 2009 elections. How can a party that is driven by patriarchy, as Tolsi alleges, be so progressive in promoting and deploying Magwaza-Msibi?
There are many more women who have broken through this imaginary patriarchal ceiling, which Tolsi would have us believe exists in the IFP. All the following IFP deployees are women: the mayor of Jozini, exco member of eThekwini Municipality, deputy mayor of Ulundi, mayor of Dannhauser, deputy mayor of Umzinyathi, speaker of Jozini, six members of Parliament and the legislature — and many others who could fill this page are all women.
It is mischievous to state that Magwaza-Msibi’s deployment is ‘aimed at removing her from her support base”. Any support base that exists belongs to the IFP and not to an individual. And although Magwaza-Msibi has stated that she has no interest in the presidency of the party, her statements have not been borne out by her actions and the actions of those who act on her behalf. Magwaza-Msibi’s name has been used to divide the party into factions. Dubious groups have emerged, such as the so-called Friends of Zanele Magwaza-Msibi, whose sole aim is to destabilise the IFP and launch Magwaza-Msibi’s presidential bid.
The IFP will not hesitate to act to root out instability. It will not apologise for the political decisions it makes in deploying its members. More importantly, the IFP will not subject itself to a popularity contest with regard to the leadership of the party. The IFP ethos of deployment is driven by meritocracy and not patriarchy. — Thulasizwe Buthelezi, IFP deputy national spokesperson
In brief
I don’t think I like the picture chosen for the February 5 front page. It portrays our president bowing his head and clutching his lips, which in African culture is read as someone who is humbling themselves, apologising or deeply embarrassed or saddened by the turn of events. Before we print such pictures, please could we get a verdict of how the ‘Big Daddy” feels, because for some reason my mind just does not allow me to believe that he would bow down after this event, unless it’s a PR instruction. Thank you for always keeping us updated on the happenings in our beloved country. Keep up the great work; your team is awesome. — Nangamso Kwinana
I am very pleased to see Hayibo featuring regularly in my favourite paper. Brilliant! Continuing in the fine M&G tradition of attacking sacred cows! Now all we need is Ben Trovato and my joy will be complete. — Tim
A vintage Zapiro cartoon today (February 5). Fantastic! Although you’ll never get one, you deserve a presidential award and the title ‘National Treasure”. You just have to make a T-shirt with this cartoon on, preferably in baby blue and pink. I’ll take one of each, please. — Julia Denny-Dimitriou, Pietermaritzburg