As your shepherd, let me lead you.
Speaking in isiZulu to more than 10 000 people, Jacob Zuma attempted to remind the listeners that he is still the president of the country on Sunday. Gathered at a drought relief imbizo at the Melmoth sports grounds in KwaZulu-Natal, Zuma asked for respect and pleaded for calm in South Africa.
This came after the ConCourt ruled last week that Zuma flouted the constitution regarding the issue around Nkandla. Now, the majority of people are calling for the removal of Zuma from his position. Here’s what the constitution says, check out 89(2).
On Friday evening, Zuma captured the nation’s attention as everyone waited with baited breath for him to announce his resignation, but instead just let everyone else around him fall on the sword. Talking at the imbizo on Sunday, he told the crowd that being president was something he had been tasked with:
A nation is a nation because of its people… While I still have this responsibility to lead the nation, it does not matter whether you are a Zuma [supporter] or not, at this moment I have been given a task to lead you, let me lead you.
I am not going to be in power for long because the years have gone by – don’t be fooled by my good looks. I want peace in the country. There is no president that does not want peace in his country. I also want there to be respect for all. This is not only my wish as the president, it is everyone’s wish.
Every leader, priest, amakhosi and every elderly person who is a parent wishes for respect. If an elderly [person] does not want respect, there is a problem.
Voting is very important. We have a problem as black people. Some people don’t even go out there and vote. Every elderly white person goes out there to vote because they know how important voting is.
But how is this – to rally the black population together, he had the audacity to accept that the vote was just that to the ANC: a way to power without having to keep the promise. And now they need to uphold those promises:
We don’t use our vote for our advantage and that is the problem. We all have the same suffering, we are all poor and instead of coming together we do the opposite.
If we came together we would change a lot of things.
Bullshit.
Go and register to vote next weekend. Black people’s votes are very important.
Obviously in tune with what the current chatter is about, he even touched on land redistribution:
There is a matter that black people need to discuss, the Land Act of 1913. We agreed that our land was taken in 1913, that is not true. It was in 1916 something and 17 something.
According to the Constitution, will we be able to get [that land]. As the president of the country I am talking about the struggles of a black person… Black people [need to] come together and vote for another black person…
Black people in black parties need to come together otherwise this country will be taken [away] in front of your eyes or they will use others to take it away from you.
It’s like all the stuff that was said back in 1994 and since, so why now is it coming up again? Oh ja, he is not only losing power, but general elections are coming up again. How dare he.