President Jacob Zuma is the most hated and unpopular leader in South Africa right now.
Zuma’s recent and controversial Cabinet reshuffle (especially that of former Finance Minister, Pravin Gordhan) has made him more unpopular.
Last week, there was a big march demanding that JZ step down. Interestingly, white people came in numbers supporting the march. Though it was led by opposition parties, it enjoyed the support of ordinary people and that of governing party’s alliance partners. Other marches have been planned for the same reason.
Responding to the march that was organised against him, Zuma played the race card. He claimed that it is whites who want him out of power. That implies blacks who participated in the march are being used by whites, which is untrue. Blacks are also fed up with his leadership.
It is an open secret that Zuma has done an irreparable damage to the ANC brand. It will take more than a miracle for the governing party to recover. Political pundits hold the view that the former liberation movement will never recover.
The ANC, particularly in Gauteng, blames him for their losses in the last local government elections. The governing party lost two metros in Gauteng: Johannesburg and Tshwane. But the national leadership has since taken a collective responsibility for the loss.
The problem is that he lacks leadership and vision. Hence the country has no sense of direction. He’s also self-serving and looking out for number one. He comes first, the country second. That’s why we find ourselves in the position we are in right now.
But love him or hate him, Nxamalala is a political genius. The ANC president has no matric but he knows how to play the political game, sometimes far better than the educated ones. Ask the former president Thabo Mbeki – he will tell you.
JZ has put people who are beholden to him in the Cabinet. These are the comrades who know that should Zuma resign or step down, they are likely to lose their positions. So they are making sure that he remains in power. Interestingly, his clique is the most powerful within the governing party.
To tell the truth, Zuma should have been axed a long time ago. But his excellent political skill has helped him survive. But it seems he has bitten off more than he can chew this time around. Will he survive? Only time will tell.
