Zuma has too much power and no strategic leadership skills

President Zuma is known for not having strategic leadership skills and being an exemplar of good governance. 

By taking control of the state-owned companies, Zuma has appointed himself as the Minister of Finance, and Minister of public enterprises. The state-controlled entities are in financial trouble and used as a source of income for the ANC movement and friends. The state-controlled companies will be handed over to loyal cronies who will inevitably take instructions from Saxonwold. The top seven state owned enterprises Zuma will control is, Eskom, SAA, Transnet, Denel, SABC, PRASA, and Sanral.

The Treasury is not in favor of throwing away good money after bad. The Minister of Finance is set against the Gupta – Eskom deal and throwing more money into the SAA. There is the PRASA situation and the millions that have been stolen.

The action against Pravin Gordhan is a move to empower Zuma and his allies, to take control of the treasury and give another bailout to the failing SAA. There are reports that Gordhan is not in favor of signing another guarantee of five billion rands for the failed SAA. Another guarantee Zuma wants is the one trillion rand for the nuclear project is perhaps the reason to have Gordhan removed from office.

It is no surprise to South Africans that Zuma’s corruption and connections to the wealthy Gupta family have created dangerous paths for the president. The pending 783 corruption charges against Zuma are not over, and the exposure of self-enrichment through the Gupta family is very different from the reality of state capture.

Would it be a mistake to state that if President Zuma had put his foot down and insisted on services there would be much more contentment in the civil society? Would the ANC have been seen more as the champion of the people? Would Nkandla have become such a big issue? If there was service delivery on a large scale would people have forgiven him for Nkandla or even if he had built 10 Nkandla’s?

All Zuma’s indiscretions are because his enemies had set traps for him, and continue to do so because he gives his enemies the opportunity to capitalize on such? The lack of discipline in the South African society needs to be checked. Can President Zuma finally show us that he is the man who can take care of such or will he continue to be led by his nose through his Intelligence services, which had been severely compromised or else by people such as the “brave” General Officer Commanding of the SA Special Forces?

There are over 50 million people living in the country and most are illiterate who support Zuma and the ANC. The voters who keep the ANC in power in exchange for grants, not job creation. What would happen to the shrinking tax base that supports the ANC?

The more unpopular Zuma and the ANC become, the more desperate the party appears. It is also when the party and the president become dangerous; it’s a time of fighting for survival.

Should Zuma resign or be forced out of office, the next question to ask is who would the ANC replace the president with? It could be somebody far worse than Zuma.

Laura Oneale - published on South Africa Today – South Africa News