Most reports have focused on only one or two aspects of SONA 2015. Yet I contend that that it is indicative of a deeper malaise within South Africa at the moment. These encompass the protection of an incompetent leader in Zuma, high-drama within the EFF and the blocking of various signals.
No wonder Zuma was in such an ebullient mood when he was interviewed by the Press Club on Monday. He was apparently unperturbed by the prospect of the EFF attempting to disrupt his State of the Nation speech. Speculation was that either Zuma would pull the proverbial rabbit out of his hat during the speech or alternatively that the ANC had a trick up their sleeve as regards how they would handle any EFF disruption.
Main picture: The violent and forceful removal of the EFF members
Lost in all the excitement and anticipation about the sequence of events which would unfold when Zuma commenced his SONA speech, none of the commenters focused on the EFF itself.
This is where the action was: ructions, palace revolts, accusations and scathing open letters were what Julius had to contend with. While the public blithely speculated about the EFF spending their time plotting and planning their strategy, they were instead a party in turmoil and disarray.
Papiki Babuile – EFF MPL sentenced to 12 years imprisonment for killing David Chika
Firstly Julius Malema was implicated in the murder of the ANC’s secretary of the Dr Kenneth Kaunda Region, a Mr David Chika. Chika was shot and killed at his house in Alabama, Klerksdorp during December 2013 just two days before the ANC’s Elective Conference in Mangaung. EFF’s North West MPL Papiki Babuile was arrested and charged for the murder. He is currently serving 12 years for that murder.
While allegations linking Malema to the murder of Chika have circulating for some time, these allegations were revitalised. In an open letter entitled Thug to Thug, Gayton McKenzie, a convicted felon, implicated Malema in the plot to kill Chika in 2012.
David Chika
Subsequent to Babuile’s incarceration, Malema had been instrumental in attempting to obtain the NW Legislature’s agreement that Babuile be paid his full salary for 12 years whilst in prison. His intervention failed.
One of the comments that Gayton makes is as follows:
“I hope [that] the only reason [why] you would pay a prisoner more than the Head of that prison is because you would like to set the precedent so that you too can enjoy the spoils of a public salary when you [too] go to jail – and not, as I have long feared – because Papiki Babuile knows that you were party to the murder conspiracy that earned him 12 years behind bars.”
This letter contains other damning accusations such as the abuse of the EFF Credit Cards amongst others.
Gayton McKenzie
As if this letter, a day before the State of the Nation Address, was insufficient ammunition for Malema’s foes, and the ANC in particular on Thursday 12th February, Andile Mngxitama, a senior member of the EFF launched his own anti-Malema offensive.
As Andile was attempting to give a press conference at his hotel just hours before the SONA Address, he was rushed by pro-Malema elements and narrowly escaped injury. From the sanctuary of his hide-out, Andile proceeded to provide cellular interviews for various news stations.
Mngxitama is among a group of EFF members who fell out of favour with Malema after the party’s national conference in December. He has referred to EFF leaders as thugs and was highly critical of the party’s deployment of Papiki Babuile as EFF chief whip in the North West legislature.
Andile Mngxitama
Amongst Andile’s interesting comments was the following statement:
“I am going to be a very vocal activist in uprooting the culture of the ANC in the EFF, which is about intolerance, suppression of differing voices, sheepish following of the leader and defending wrong things, which are committed by the leadership,” he said.
Instead of using the dissention and ructions within the EFF’s ranks as ammunition for the own offensive, the ANC used the heavy-handed authoritarian approach.
What the ANC could have done was on a point of order to request that Malema be removed from the house as he has twice within as many days been accused of plotting a murder. Also he has been accused of other corrupt practices unbecoming of an MP. Maybe the ANC’s objection to his presence would not have been upheld especially in the light of Zuma’s equally murky past, but the adroit and skillful handling of this issue by the ANC could have severely embarrassed the EFF. It could possibly also have placed the usually garrulous Malema in the invidious position of having to perform some verbal gymnastics of his own. A slew of insults couched in parliament-ese could have rattled Malema.
Without a quick witted individual like a Winston Churchill or a Ronald Reagan, the ANC plodded on.
In not pursuing the issue, the ANC lost a golden opportunity.
Then their clumsy maladroit approach was employed. Firstly as MPs entered the chamber, their cell phones were unable to connect to the networks. A signal jammer had been deployed in the House. Then when the Speaker, Baleka Mbete, ordered that the EFF be removed from the House, the TV camera studiously avoided focusing on the mayhem and melee with the unidentified security officials indelicately removing all EFF members as if all were the miscreants. It was left to the journalists in the Public Gallery to take the incriminating pictures.
Baleka Mbete – the biased partisan Speaker of Parliament
Baleka Mbete who was always suspected of not being an impartial unbiased Speaker, revealed her true colours on Saturday 14th February by calling Malema a cockroach that has to be eliminated.
Finally I would like to evaluate both Zuma’s speech and his general demeanour during the proceedings.
Zuma sat impassive and unperturbed during the disruption and even on occasion grinned as the EFF’s attempts at embarrassing him were continually thwarted by a stern matriarchal immoveable Baleka Mbete. When all the shenanigans were over and the EFF expelled and now unable to deter him, he commenced reading his speech without any acknowledgement that there had been a one hour interruption to the proceedings.
Zuma drily reading the script of SONA 2015
Zuma’s whole comportment & mien during proceedings did not earn any respect from me. The impression created is one of a person clearly out of his depth transfixed by a spotlight shining in their face: an ignoramus, a lackluster character with no leadership capability.
As is usual, Zuma droned incoherently through an insipid uninspiring speech.
Like the tale of a king of yore who entered the banqueting hall without any clothes on, Zuma was the equivalent.
Except that in South Africa’s case, it is not a fable but a true story.