Jacob Zuma needs another shower

Opinion — By on January 18, 2010 11:40 am

Open letter to SA President Jacob Zuma

By Sibanengi Dube

This letter represents my personal views as an individual and not MDC SA province. As a spokesman of MDC SA I have to distinguish clearly between the Party’s position and my individual opinion about a particular subject.

I was personally shocked to read Zuma’s recent statement, where he asked MDC president Morgan Tsvangirai to be flexible. From his statement, Zuma seems to be suggesting that Tsvangirai’s flexibility should manifest itself through dropping his demand for the exodus AG, Johannes Tomana and Reserve Bank Governor, Gideon.

Zuma’s utterance I suppose is informed by the idea that two senior civil servants cannot be a spanner in the works of the Inclusive government. This is however a disturbing reading of the situation. Tomana and Gono are not simply targeted as individuals. Zuma should have looked at this issue with a broad view.

The MDC’s principal concern in Zimbabwe is the restoration of the rule of law. MDC is worried about the selective application of the law by the AG’s office. Tomana, a war veteran was specifically parachuted to the AG’s office from oblivion with the sole mandate to use his prosecutorial powers as a weapon to fight MDC. This is straightforward.

Tomana is not even denying this. He is not complex about it. This explains why he took it upon himself to personally prosecute MDC Treasurer-General Roy Bennett. There is no debate or doubt about this. This is very clear even for a blind man to see. There is no way one anyone can be comfortable being head of a government whose prosecutorial office is busy purging his lieutenants. Zuma should know this.

Honestly President Zuma no-one expected you to either give Bulelani Ngquka or Vusi Pikoli back the stinging powers at the National Prosecution Authority. The two went after your skin and their prosecutorial independence was highly comprised. You even replaced the commissioner of the police Selebi with Bheki Cele. NIA went to Mo Shaik. Compromising the office of AG in the name of flexibility is just the same as compromising sex in a marriage.

Gono committed the worst monetary offence in the world by presiding over an economy whose inflation was hovering around a trillion percent. President Zuma, tell me of any serious investor who has faith in Gono? His case is second to none. This is the first of its own kind. The economy of Zimbabwe can’t afford to have Gono at the helm of RBZ even for a day. Why should we recycle failures when the country is awash with economic pundits?

Sibanengi Dube

Sibanengi Dube

I expected Zuma to request Zanu PF to stop attracting sanctions by engaging in undemocratic practices, invading farms and looting state resources. One would have expected Zuma to tell Mugabe that MDC does not control the foreign policies of EU countries and USA. I am shocked that Zuma missed an opportunity to whisper to Mugabe that Zimbabwean independent radio stations SW Radio Africa and the America based Studio 7 were owned by private media companies and not MDC. This is as idiotic as asking another Zimbabwe opposition party, PF ZAPU to close down South Africa based E-TV.

Zuma should appreciate that MDC is 10 times more flexible than what he reads. Imagine that MDC won the elections, but accepted to go into government with Zanu PF losers and the Welshman Ncube breakaway. It is even a sign of extreme flexibility that Mugabe is the President of Zimbabwe today. It is flexibility that Welshman Ncube, (your in-law) is a minister today in Zimbabwe. It is serious flexibility that Arthur Mutambara is the Deputy Prime Minister of Zimbabwe.

I rest my case.

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