Politics.za

Just in case you thought that the Zuma trial was not getting any attention internationally the New York Times, the grey lady herself, weighs in with an editorial that is not so kind to our ex-VP. Money quote:

But during the trial he admitted to behavior so irresponsible that his future political activity deserves to be limited to voting.

Ouch.

Just in time for the verdict in the Zuma rape trial: 100% JZ – Halala

Although just looking over that tracklist I see no ‘Letu Mshini Wali’ which is a bit of a bummer…

You are making my task difficult. You are misleading the people, and it hurts

That’s our esteemed Minister of Health Manto Tshabalala-Msimang telling the media that they are making it harder for the Dept of Health to educate about HIV/AIDS because of their ‘sensationalistic’ reporting about Jacob Zuma’s idiotic remarks about showering after having unprotected sex with an HIV positive person.

Manto, I hate to be the one to tell you this but if the former Vice President of South Africa does not know the proper way to prevent transmission of HIV then you’re not doing your job. If the former Chairperson of the National AIDS Council believes in untruths that showering after sex reduces the chances of transmission then you’re not doing your job.

In short, you’re not doing your job.

Well thanks to Jacob Zuma proclaiming that having a shower will reduce his chances of contracting HIV, helplines are being flooded with calls from people querying whether this is true or not.

And the Department of Health not smacking down Zuma for that statement, because doing so would be commenting on Zuma’s guilt or innocence (yeah I don’t get it either), is almost as bad.

I think this should contribute a few more unecessary deaths to our national AIDS death statistics.

Thanks JZ!

Watching ongoing Zuma rape trial is like watching a car accident. You should look away but… you… just… can’t. It’s also a source of some completely mindblowing quotes. Here’s one from Zuma’s testimony today:

He has testified that he had received signals from the woman which led him to believe she wanted something more when she visited him that night, in the wake of a family crisis. These included her arrival at his house in a skirt that showed her legs.

It’s clear there was nothing Zuma could do to stop himself, I mean after all she was showing leg!

If he ever does become President he will be putty in Condoleeza Rice’s hands.

But on a more serious note Zuma’s testimony must have Mbeki throwing chairs across the Union Building. Mbeki has made remarks in speeches that he feels that the idea that African men are somehow less able to control themselves sexually is a racist viewpoint (which it is). And yet here we have the former head of the National Aids Council and Moral Regeneration Movement telling us that because she was showing some leg that basically she wanted it. And hey the risk for men contracting HIV is less than women so what the heck…

Now this of course doesn’t mean that African men can’t control themselves and I guarantee there are plenty of European/Asian/Martian people who have done the same.

It just means that Jacob Zuma is stupid.

Did you catch this quote Jacob Zuma gave to the Sowetan (as reported by Hogarth in the Sunday Times)?

I am not a rapist — angisona isishimane mina — I don’t struggle to have liaisons with women.

I always wondered if it was possible to put both feet in your mouth at one time. I guess it is.

I don’t really like talking about the Zuma rape trial mainly because with all the mudslinging happening currently I feel like I need to take a shower I read about it but if there’s one thing the Zuma rape trial (and the Schaik corruption trial) have made clear is that Jacob Zuma is not, and I don’t think ever was, fit to be president.

Here’s some key facts that came out of both trials:

• He took over R1 million from Shabir Schaik (that we know of) to pay for things like his house and school fees. The ‘loan’ had no repayment schedule.

• He had sex (whether it was rape or consensual is still being decided) with a woman who is not his wife (or rather wives). The woman in question is HIV positive and the sex was unprotected.

That second point is particularly telling. This is a man who at one point was head of South Africa’s ‘Moral Regeneration Movement’.

If he is acquitted of the rape trial I don’t see how the ANC could still elect him as their presidential candidate. If they do I expect an all out internal ANC civil war.

Jacob Zuma was formally charged with rape today. I expect the support he had from COSATU/SACP to disappear soon as well.

Like other people I’m finding this whole Zuma rape allegation (or is it just an allegation of an allegation at the moment) is just adding more confusion and distraction to the whole sordid affair.

I feel like I’m the teenage daughter in Poltergeist who comes home to find her house (representing the ANC in this very bad analogy) glowing like a lightbulb with all sorts of wierd stuff happening inside and can only scream: “WHAT’S HAPPENING?!”

Schabir Shaik has been granted leave to appeal one of his corruption charges. Once again this will probably be another Zuma trial-by-proxy and if the conviction is overturned Zuma will have some heat taken off him. However this is only an appeal for one of the convictions (out of three) and only on limited grounds.

But check out this quote:

Schabir is presently on a leave of absence from work. The appeal is consuming much of his time.

Besides setting up dodgy arms deals and making sure Jacob Zuma’s mortage didn’t default what did this guy do?

Update: Just heard Shaik will be able to appeal all three convictions.