Zuma’s SONA response: filled with contradictions

The response by President Zuma to the State of the Nation Address (SONA debate has been lauded by some in the media as statesman-like. He pulled out the “charm-offensive” and used the old trick of “charm to disarm”. It is clear, he is running out of options. In trying to use this tactic he is hoping to “soften” the opposition on issues such as Nkandla and the corruption hanging over his head. At the same time he tried to negate the shocking intimidation and violence that everyone witnessed in Parliament. We are not that forgetful! As DA Parliamentary Leader said; we will never forgive Zuma for this travesty in Parliament. We will also not forget the jamming of cell phone signals. This is unconstitutional. It goes against the free flow of information. Ministers are now telling us that it was a junior official that is responsible and due to “human error”. What rubbish! Again, we see individuals in the ANC not taking responsibility for their actions. No one has explained why jamming devices were in Parliament in the first place. Those that believe that the President delivered a good response to the SONA debate ignore the fact that it was riddled with contradictions. The President contradicted himself when he agreed with South Africans that the electricity crises is indeed serious and that it is a drag on the economy. However, at the SONA the previous week, he described loadshedding as a mere “inconvenience”. Zuma used his response to dictate to Members of Parliament on how to behave in debates. He wants placid debates were everyone is “respectful”. Amazingly, the Constitution describes clear separation of powers yet his thug police force behaved badly violating the Constitution and thus the sanctity of Parliament – where’s the “respect” there, Mr President? His impromptu history lesson looked at the past whilst providing no vision for the future which is what South Africa needs. It is very sad to see how clearly he can articulate the past but not the future. Twenty years of ANC government and we continue to grapple with the same issues as the Zuma administration is able to effectively solve them.