Hello again, I am sharing another article that I wrote and was published in the Guardian Express a month ago.
I am sure you will recall the media frenzy regarding the Zuma comments on this one.
His arrogant statement has caused widespread outrage and promptly spiked a ripple effect on the social media sites, including Twitter.
Public comments range from hilarious to serious concern. People are angry and not only black people but many whites are referring to this comment as calling all South Africans ignorant. One of the comments stated that had a white person uttered those words, it would be considered racist and cause an uproar. How true that is. The younger educated generation seem angry with Zuma for referring to them as ignorant and emphatically stated they were not stupid. Scores of people are requesting the presidency to scrap the E-tolling project. This additional tax system will generate a greater degree of poverty for the already millions of people who cannot afford to pay more.
Zuma said in his speech that if people could afford a car they could pay the E toll tax and if not they should use public transport. That comment is inappropriate; the president has no idea how pathetic the public transport system actually is. There are a few buses with drivers always on strike, they never arrive on time, and many areas do not have buses. The train monopoly is unusable, besides the continues strikes, the persistent delays, these carriages are a health hazard, the filth and stench would certainly create further problems. The only reliable public transport is the infamous Gautrain, and it is subject to delays, strikes and overcrowding. The other option would be to use the Mini Taxi's and that would be like taking a death ride. The taxis are not roadworthy, most drivers have fabricated licenses, they are always overcrowded, and they drive like hooligans. The road accidents involving these taxi's are high. Zuma perhaps should attempt to address the public transport issue before trying to create additional revenue from the already heavily taxed system implemented in South Africa.The taxes paid by the citizens are high, and there are virtually no public services available.
Such a classic racist comment from the top man of the country. The government the ruling party, the ANC, support Zuma. Presidential spokesperson Mac Maharaj said Zuma’s statement has been "taken out of context" and "blown out of proportion" by the media." Were made in the broader context of South Africa “achieving more” in the past 19 years of freedom and democracy.
"The African National Congress welcomes the role played by traditional and social media in our national discourse," spokesperson Jackson Mthembu said in a statement.
"It is important therefore that those privileged to form opinion on these networks do so with the intention of promoting fair and balanced reporting, a call we believe would not have arisen had the president's comments been placed in context."
The opposition party, Democratic Alliance (DA) has called on the president to retract his statement.
Well only in South Africa, can the president utter such undermining harmful and downright stupid comment? The government is still determined to blame the media for taking the president's words and turning it into a national scandal. It is a dishonest attempt by the government to condemn the media when they have a transcript of the recorded speech. Such a statement can only be summarized by stating that Zuma is talking like an African!
The End!
I must admit that President Zuma certainly is a hugely entertaining president, he does raise a few laughs and always seems to produce a smile upon our faces with his off the cuff remarks.
Well I think this picture sums up how I feel.
Have a wonderful week.
All the best.
Your friend,
Laura
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