ANC leader Jacob Zuma saw corruption charges against him dropped yesterday in a court decision that will clear the way for his expected election as president of South Africa on 22 April.
“It is neither possible nor desirable for the national prosecuting authority to continue with the prosecution of Mr Zuma,” said Mokotedi Mpshe, acting director of public prosecutions.
To listen to some of the comments made by his supporters, many standing vigil outside the court with pretend machine guns, it appears that even had the court found Mr Zuma guilty, this would have done very little to dim their view of the man.
“We are prepared to die for Zuma. Not only that, we are prepared to take up arms and kill for Zuma,” warned ANC youth leader Julius Malema last year. This veneration of Mr Zuma is borne of his role in the anti-apartheid struggle, which began as early as 1959, when he first joined the ANC.
It is precisely the same logic that underpinned the controversial recent selection of Winnie Mandela as an ANC parliamentary candidate, in spite of a three-and-a-half year jail term for fraud and theft handed down in July 2004 that she never served. To her supporters, her marriage to Nelson Mandela and her role in the anti-apartheid movement has earned her the title “Mother of the Nation.”
Unfortunately, the inability of many South Africans to see beyond the anti-apartheid credentials of leaders such as Mr Zuma and Ms Mandela threatens to seriously diminish South Africa’s credibility as a worthy leader in the region.
Former ANC leader and South African President Thabo Mbeki drew widespread international criticism for his failure to take a tougher stance with Zimbabwe’s anti-colonialist hero Robert Mugabe, stating his preference for “quite diplomacy” as opposed to the “megaphone diplomacy” practiced by the West. Though a bitter opponent of Mr Mbeki on most matters, Mr Zuma has also proved reluctant to condemn President Mugabe’s actions, saying during an interview with Der Spiegel in 2006 that “The people love him, so how can we condemn him?”
Yet in his impoverishment of the people and contempt for democracy, Mr Mugabe has betrayed the ideals he supposedly fought for. In her contempt for the rule of law, Winnie Mandela is likewise undeserving of the veneration so many South Africans have for her.
If South Africa truly wishes to move forward, then it needs to stop clinging so tightly to the past. Nelson Mandela is worthy of respect because he has stayed true to the principles he espoused as leader of South Africa’s anti-apartheid movement. To believe that an individual’s past actions put him or her beyond reproach for the rest of their lives is exceedingly dangerous for the future. President Mugabe has already demonstrated this in Zimbabwe, and South Africa’s failure to apply genuine pressure is in large part the reason that Mugabe is still in power.
If South Africans continue to ignore the abuses of their leaders in this way then they threaten to take the country down a very dangerous road indeed.
Tags: South Africa, Zimbabwe