The bells may be tolling for President Jacob Zuma but it’s business as usual for the embattled man from Nkandla.
The bells may be tolling for President Jacob Zuma but it’s business as usual for the embattled man from Nkandla who is set to be the keynote speaker at a business breakfast hosted by the former Gupta-owned The New Age newspaper.
News sites have been awash with stories of Zuma refusing to step down before his term ends, and that he insists on delivering the SONA speech as president of the republic.
Starting at 6am, Zuma is expected to be the main drawcard for the breakfast to be held in the Grand Ballroom at the Westin Hotel in Cape Town.
The breakfast costs R1095.00 per person and to book a table for 10 people is R9 999.00. All attendees will get a free one-year subscription to The New Age.
This breakfast is a continuation of the publication managing to secure senior cabinet ministers to be keynote speakers at their breakfasts while securing state sponsorship of the events.
In recent weeks the Presidency has been at pains to demonstrate the continued longevity of Zuma’s presidency.
On January 22, the Presidency made Zuma’s diary of “public engagements” for a few weeks public in an uncharacteristic move.
The diary showed that the president will attend the African Union summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on January 26 and will host the Nelson Mandela Centenary Dinner on the margins of the summit on January 27. A Cabinet Lekgotla at the presidential guesthouse was also scheduled and a courtesy call on King Goodwill Zwelithini on February 5.
Calls for Zuma to be recalled by opposition parties and members of the governing party started after the ANC’s 54th annual conference in December where Cyril Ramaphosa was elected ANC president but now, these calls have gained momentum with the State of the Nation address due on Thursday.