Is Zuma A Victim Or A Villain?

Brian Kazungu, 06/02/2021

The controversy regarding the conception of a Commission of Inquiry, its establishment, and facts and circumstances of the appointment of Justice Zondo as its chair continues to divide South Africans.

On the one hand, a conclusion was made by the former Public Protector, Ms. Thuli Madonsela, that former President Zuma was complicit in the blatant abuse of the rule of law.

On the other hand, a view was held that he was a victim of a deliberate illegal and unconstitutional scheme to remove him and make him a poster boy of a narrative that he was one of the most corrupt person ever to occupy the office of President.

The debate as to whether Zuma is a villain or victim has been reignited by his refusal to attend the Zondo Commission hearings alleging that Zondo is a product of a corrupt scheme initiated by Madonsela and executed by the Chief Justice.

Yesterday, Malema who has distinguished himself hitherto as one of Zuma’s most potent nemesis, met with Zuma for tea at a time when calls are getting louder that Zuma must comply with the Constitutional Court order to attend the Zondo Commission.

Could Malema be playing a devil’s advocate? Only time will tell.

All the drama surrounding Zuma and the Zondo Commission has generated much public interest on civic issues among the citizenry.

This therefore raises the question: What is Civics Literacy?

This publication, iniAfricaNews, is a member of the C2C Civics Literacy Campaign aimed at raising awareness on the urgency and need for citizens to assume their rightful place in their own affairs based on shared understanding on citizenship and what duties it imposes on citizens.

The Zuma case study exposes the fact that there exists no shared understanding necessary to answer the question of whether Zuma is a villain, a view that is commonly held, or he is a victim of a vicious elite-driven scheme to take him to hell under the guise of constitutionalism.

In this raging debate, it is unmistakable that the knowledge and skills to participate effectively in civic life through knowing how to stay informed and understanding governmental processes as well as knowledge on the rights and obligations of citizenship across the board is not shared.

This case exposes illiteracy in the public sphere to allow for any meaningful consensus to be reached regarding the true nature of what has been dubbed ‘nine wasted and corrupt years’.

Zuma’s legacy is in tatters and his adversaries are not done with him.

He knows what is at stake and clearly he has arrived at the point where he believes that he would rather go down standing up for what he believes in rather than on his knees begging for favors from his comrades.

The question of whether Zuma’s decision to defy the ruling by the highest court in the land is alive and well in the public domain and even in the C2C WhatsApp groups, this question is being heavily contested.

The thread below is a typical conversation in these groups.

In this thread, Mr Frederick Kyle, a trained lawyer, who is member of C2C Legal Literacy Campaign, exchanges insights with Mr. Mawere, who is also a member of C2C on whether Zuma is misguided or not.

Please follow the thread and judge for yourself:

[2/3, 5:37 PM] mdmawere1: What is your reading of Zuma’s position.

[2/3, 5:48 PM] Rikki: Think he should spill the beans on some of the current guys, put them all in a spin. Tell the Commission to fuck off. The ConCourt was wrong and biased as his faith was sealed a long time ago. Don’t think he has a proper team representing him.

[2/3, 5:49 PM] Rikki: What do you think of the contents of the article below?

[2/3, 5:54 PM] mdmawere1: https://iniafrica.com/index.php/2021/02/01/as-zuma-takes-a-jab-at-justice-zondo-and-the-south-african-judiciary-the-c2c-community-analyses-the-meaning-and-impact-of-the-former-presidents-statements-in-his-press-release/

[2/3, 6:17 PM] Rikki: What is your personal take?

[2/3, 7:40 PM] Rikki: Well written. Bit hard to read, but good points all around. The last statement by Zuma: “In the circumstances, I am left with no other alternative but to be defiant against injustice as I did against the apartheid government.” should scare every single South African. The Judiciary is serving the same purpose it did during the apartheid era but now, just for a new master.

[2/3, 7:42 PM] mdmawere1: Do the points make sense or you think the newspaper should take another bite on what Zuma is saying?

[2/3, 8:30 PM] Rikki: It is not whether or not I understood, as I am a knowledgeable reader.

This is a pivotal moment in South African history that is deliberately being silenced and might very well go unnoticed.

The effect of what Zuma is saying is that we are no longer living in a democratic society based on the principles and values entrenched in a Constitution for which they thought so hard.

There is need to make sure that this is not only brought to the attention of but also understood by the common man (the masses).

[2/3, 9:27 PM] mdmawere1: I hear you. The difficulty lies in the media actors communicating in a language that can be understood by the masses. So far, I think that Zuma like Mandela in 1963, has attempted in his own words to simplify what is a complex matter into a provocative public policy matter with significant ramifications for the future of the ANC and the country. 

[2/4, 7:34 AM] Rikki: He is trying but the legal system is super complicated for no real reason other than to enrich the players. An impression has rightly or wrongly been created that the judiciary is clean and corruption only occurs outside the four corners of the court which is not the case. Is it not ironic that the focus of the Zondo Commission has been on the conduct of the executive and legislative branches of the government and nothing on the judiciary?

[2/4, 7:36 AM] Rikki: Maybe the newspaper should focus on the last point in the article in a follow up that they can try and get to the mainstream as part of this important civic literacy campaign. They should explain and compare how the old Government used the Judiciary to prosecute the Rivonia trialists and put people like Mandela in jail for 27 years so they can continue their agenda and now, the ANC is doing the same perhaps with its members not fully grasping what is at play. This whole enterprise was orchestrated by Madonsela who openly stripped Zuma of his reserved powers and handed them to the Chief Justice. The power to appoint a Commission of Inquiry is reserved for the President yet the reality in this absurd matter is that the judiciary played a decisive role in divesting Zuma of this right. Do you think absent Madonsela and the judiciary, Zuma would have appointed this Commission?

[2/4, 7:36 AM] Rikki: They should try and use stories the masses know and understand to explain what is happening. You are also a victim of this justice system. I am surprised that you are silent. Your matters will and should help in exposing the inconvenient truth that the judiciary is rotten to the core. People think that Zuma is the only victim in town when the victims are many. Some do not have the guts like Zuma to stand up to these bullies who are not accountable to anyone yet expect the rest of us to be accountable.