JOHANNESBURG - “What is happening today is what Verwoerd did, where the black majority were historically not given education,”  he said in an interview on Talk Radio 702 yesterday.

“We are dealing with a system which had put black people back for centuries,” Zuma said.

He defended Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga and the ANC government, saying they were dealing with problems created by the apartheid architect who served as Prime Minister from 1958 to 1966.

Zuma denied that politics had been prioritised above the interest of pupils.

Political analyst Andre Duvenhage said Zuma’s arguments were an attempt to deflect blame for the failures of the ANC-led government. He believes that Zuma and the ruling party have no answers on how to fix education generally or,  specifically, in the case of the  scandal in Limpopo.

He said it had taken Verwoerd seven years to damage the education system, while the ANC was unable to bring about changes in education in the 18 years the party has  been in power.

“Verwoerd was not the best politician, but the democratic government led by the ANC needs to take responsibility instead of blaming him.

It is easy for Zuma and the ANC to blame others for the failures in education, which is an attempt to shift attention from the responsibility of the ANC government,”  he said.