South Africa P.I.G.

Malema's millions

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpNOPTVTUhJzRDnh-TT_dfDoVTeRBcxVWVqMUdECjOtQeTPW1E_J5m6p0xCCK8NsshqzaYycNb9IMW_6Vh9PNPBvdGD2oVV1lh6-fkkKJx3-khXUqSQTM1bktmwn38Oz9jRmx7GaxeFV0R/s1600-h/malema-fuckr.bmp"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439881097777864210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpNOPTVTUhJzRDnh-TT_dfDoVTeRBcxVWVqMUdECjOtQeTPW1E_J5m6p0xCCK8NsshqzaYycNb9IMW_6Vh9PNPBvdGD2oVV1lh6-fkkKJx3-khXUqSQTM1bktmwn38Oz9jRmx7GaxeFV0R/s400/malema-fuckr.bmp" style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 335px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 284px; CURSOR: hand" /></a>This report in The Star newspaper claims Malema owns a R3,6m house in Sandown and a R1m mansion in Polokwane, both of which he paid cash. You do the maths ... <ul><li>Two houses: R4,6m </li><li>Cars: R1,2m plus plus plus </li><li>Breitling watch: R250 000 </li><li>Monthly salary: R20 000 </li></ul>Julius Malema, the ANC Youth League president, owns two multimillion-rand homes - both of which he bought for cash. This disclosure, which adds to questions surrounding how the youth league president affords his lavish lifestyle, comes just a day after Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan announced that targeted lifestyle audits would be conducted this year. The Star has discovered that Malema bought his three-bedroom home in Sandown for R3,6-million in December last year. And, according to the Deeds Office, he owns two houses. The other is a mansion he bought in Polokwane in 2007 for R1m. The house in Sandown is in Silvela Road and the Deeds Office indicates that he bought it for R36m. But according to the previous owner, the house was sold for R3,6m. The Sandown house has been described as luxurious, with three bedrooms, an office, a TV room, a lounge, a pool and a large garden. It is the same house in which Malema held a controversial house-warming party in September last year. A police reservist said at the time that he was assaulted by the youth league leader. Neighbours complained about the noise and mess that Malema's party had caused. It was a sophisticated bash. YFM DJ Oskido provided the music, and guests were treated to R700-a-bottle Johnnie Walker Gold Label whisky and Moët et Chandon French Champagne. When asked how he could afford to buy a R3.6m house cash, Malema reacted angrily. "You and your husband and your family - that's who you need to write about. You go away, just go away," he said before slamming down the phone. ANC Youth League spokesperson Floyd Shivambu said The Star was being nonsensical. "I think you need to rethink what you are doing. What business is this of yours? How dare you call me and ask for comment on this?" It's not the first time questions surrounding the scale of Malema's lifestyle have emerged. Sources in the youth league have said he earns R20 000 a month. At the same time that the transfer of the Sandown house went through, Malema attended a press conference in a Gucci suit, and sported a Breitling watch worth about R250 000. The 28-year-old politician owns a black Mercedes-Benz AMG, which retails at R734 000, and reportedly drives an Aston Martin and a red Range Rover Sport, too. Last night he went to a lecture at Wits University in a brand-new white Range Rover - with no number plates - which sells for R1,2m. Malema is the director of four companies: 101 Junjus Trading CC, Blue Nightingale Trading 61, Ever Roaring Investment and SGL Engineering Projects. DA youth league leader Khume Ramulifho said he had heard that Malema earned a lot more than the R20 000 he claims. "It is said that he earns as much as a minister, and that is why he will not go to Parliament or take up any other office," said Ramulifho, who owns one car - an Audi A4 - and a house in Riverlea.

Malema's millions

This report in The Star newspaper claims Malema owns a R3,6m house in Sandown and a R1m mansion in Polokwane, both of which he paid cash. Y...

12:34 AM

Getting to know the real Jacob Zuma

The latest controversy surrounding President Jacob Zuma illustrates a consistent thread running through his presidency: power abuse. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG3HJrO_kjBJOnHNw1RrbD57iypM1sCZfvRMbP2_4T-1KhguMzJ72I5QSEwSKpvsMiaIxE4cJDzC7Kc8Q6H1cPICwCwgE3_kisOGm57rh9LYbVIqTzyAQEWHrW720grXqpX-aR7nR3x6_0/s1600-h/ancposter5475.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439733198991668434" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG3HJrO_kjBJOnHNw1RrbD57iypM1sCZfvRMbP2_4T-1KhguMzJ72I5QSEwSKpvsMiaIxE4cJDzC7Kc8Q6H1cPICwCwgE3_kisOGm57rh9LYbVIqTzyAQEWHrW720grXqpX-aR7nR3x6_0/s400/ancposter5475.jpg" style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 291px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" /></a>Zuma believes he is above the law and social norms. He believes that - by virtue of his position - he can get away with anything. One of his close political associates summed it up the other day when he said, in conversation: Jacob Zuma has a mandate from 11 million people so he can do what he likes. This attitude applies to Zuma's financial dealings, his relationships with women, and to his relationship with his citizens. If any institution of state gets in his way, it is effectively neutered. If any government campaign requires him to change his behaviour, it is ignored. Behind his undoubted warmth and charm, this is the real Jacob Zuma. It is also the real ANC. This is how the ANC understands and uses power. We have, during the past year, witnessed the cynical manipulation that has turned the National Prosecuting Authority and the Judicial Service Commission into extensions of the ANC to protect President Zuma. The Zuma clique in the ruling party does not seem to grasp that, in a constitutional democracy, ruling parties and their leaders are not above the law or social norms. They may not ignore their own policies. They must be held to account. And they must lead by example. So what has this got to do with the birth of Jacob Zuma's 20th child? Everything. Firstly, Zuma does not consider himself bound by the norms of safe sex that he exhorts his fellow citizens to follow. It is worth repeating what he said in December last year on World Aids Day: "Prevention is our most powerful weapon against the epidemic… All South Africans should take steps to ensure that they do not become infected, that they do not infect others and that they know their status. Each individual must take responsibility for protection against HIV...It does not mean that we should be irresponsible in our sexual practices. It does not mean that people do not have to practice safer sex. It does not mean that people should not use condoms consistently and correctly during every sexual encounter. We can eliminate the scourge of HIV if all South Africans take responsibility for their actions." Quite clearly, there is one norm for Jacob Zuma and another for everybody else. This attitude is rooted in the same assumptions that justify his destruction of independent state institutions that seek to call him to account on legal matters against him. After all, he has a mandate from 11 million people. He can do what he likes. Secondly, the birth of his little girl in October last year neatly illustrates his abuse of power as a husband. This baby was conceived between two marriages. No culture, polygamous or otherwise, justifies cheating on your wife/wives. This is confirmed by cultural expert Ndela Nelson Ntshangase of the University of KwaZulu-Natal: "Polygamy allows all children to be born into a family, to have access to both parents, unlike an illegitimate child…If a child is born out of wedlock... the illegitimate child is in a vulnerable position, she is standing on a slippery slope because the child is born into a broken family." And yet, Zuma has tried to appeal to culture to defend himself. Like the race card, Zuma and the ANC play the culture card to try and silence legitimate criticism. This opportunistic strategy is actually an abuse of culture. Indeed, it is part of Zuma's pattern of power abuse. And it justifies further abuse of that culture by his supporters. As Julius Malema said: "We are Africans, we cannot discuss the private affairs of our elders and Zuma is a father to us all." The fact is, promiscuity and philandering are not part of Zulu culture, they are in conflict with it. As cultural analyst, Nomboniso Gasa points out: "According to the cultural milieu to which Malema refers, leadership is earned every day. Ukuzeyisa nobungcathu - self-control, discipline, modesty about one's desires are critical qualities of leadership." We cannot allow appeals to culture, especially when they are self-servingly distorted, to stop legitimate criticism of an elected leader who is accountable for his actions. Zuma can, and must, be called to account for private actions that have public consequences, particularly when those consequences are so profound. The truth is that Zuma has set us back at least a decade in the fight against HIV/Aids. His actions will have a far more negative impact than even the Aids denialism of Thabo Mbeki. Getting bogged down in esoteric theories and quack science would have had far less impact on people's behaviour, than a leader who by his own example, justifies unprotected sex. The inevitable response of millions of young men will be: "If the President can do it so can I." This attitude undermines the entire edifice of the government's HIV/Aids programme. It will destroy many lives. And it will cost the taxpayers millions in treating people who contract HIV/AIDS as a result. There is a clear parallel between Zuma's attitude to HIV/AIDS and his corruption trial. By manipulating the criminal justice system to ensure that he never had to answer the allegations against him in court, he sent out the message that it is okay to be corrupt. It is nobody's culture to justify corruption. In his admission yesterday, Zuma railed against "opportunistic" critics for encroaching on an "intensely private" matter that does not consider the rights of the child. Really? How touching. One has to ask: To what extent has his behavior considered the rights of this child, his other children, or every other South African child? One of the root causes of social disintegration in our country is the failure of so many fathers to take responsibility for their children. Absent fathers rob children of a present parent. Often, they deprive a family of a crucial income source to give children the opportunities they deserve in life. Zuma is sending out a message that it is okay to father as many children as you want, whatever the social consequences and burden on the state. The difference is that the average single-parent cannot afford to look after 20 children. Indeed, it is questionable whether even Jacob Zuma - on a President's salary - can do so either. Questions need to be asked about where he gets the money to support all his wives and children, but that is another issue for another day. It may have been feasible in a by-gone rural era, for 20 children of a single father to be properly cared for, nurtured and mentored in an extended family network. In a fragmented urban environment, it is not possible. The children inevitably suffer the consequences. It is nobody's culture to diminish their children's chances in life. Many of Zuma's actions demonstrate the ANC's belief that there is one law for themselves, and another for the rest of South Africa. Zuma can get way with things that ordinary people can't. Not only this, he is shielded from the consequences of his actions. This is power abuse, pure and simple. If there is anything positive about this episode, it is that South Africa is getting to know the real Jacob Zuma, beyond the charm. The honeymoon, (in the figurative sense at least), is over! Helen Zille

Getting to know the real Jacob Zuma

The latest controversy surrounding President Jacob Zuma illustrates a consistent thread running through his presidency: power abuse . Zuma b...

3:31 PM

Open letter to Mr President from Evita Bezuidenhout

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUAZBS7jA7iNSONY7Hcox2gnucVRDUp6fOLcp0HBqM8ARBYu7Eue9jxF_sXuK-XukkMtdhjkFrjxkQEj37y2Bi0aCsYVijpxQ0sQFSFjWIA1nWjw7nBMt-Bjuah4lV9JOigM9qI6P2N5FM/s1600-h/ZUMA-20-KIDS.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440430735425791954" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUAZBS7jA7iNSONY7Hcox2gnucVRDUp6fOLcp0HBqM8ARBYu7Eue9jxF_sXuK-XukkMtdhjkFrjxkQEj37y2Bi0aCsYVijpxQ0sQFSFjWIA1nWjw7nBMt-Bjuah4lV9JOigM9qI6P2N5FM/s400/ZUMA-20-KIDS.jpg" style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 300px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" /></a>Dear President Zuma, I won’t address you as Father of the Nation because I know you don’t like formalities. I treasure your allowing me to still call you by your Zulu name, Innocent. For all the years we have passed each other in the passages of power you have always treated me with great respect. Granted, I’ve never been alone in a room with you for more than a minute. People have come to me in the past few days and said, “Evita, talk to him. Make him realise he is not just a song-and-dance man.” Of course you’re not. You were a major player in the Struggle against apartheid, and let the world now know that you have been responsible for extraordinary things during the past 30 years. But nothing as extraordinary as your personal collection of beautiful wives. Liewe aarde, Innocent, what competition are you trying to win here? How is it possible that a man who is so involved in politics as president of a young democracy that needs as much supervision as a 16-year-old delinquent child finds so much time to share with not just one wife but three? At what time of day can you get to your office if there are so many wives to kiss goodbye in the morning? And you have to be fair and kiss them all, other¬wise we will sit with a never-ending television series called Desperate First Ladies! But then, when you should be addressing the problems of poverty, xenophobia, Zimbabwe, presidential pardons - to mention but a few - you spend those moments creating more Zumettes. They say already 20 children from your own loins, and maybe we can add one or two for those slipped out without you noticing ? Maggies man, carry on like that and you will have your own football teams to win the cup for South Africa in 2018 ! Innocent, I like you. I even respect you. I want you to be the best president we've had since Nelson Mandela decided to hand over the reigns to someone else. There is no reason for you to fail. You came to power as our third democratically elected leader in spite of a nightmare audition; months of court actions and trials, miles of media blah blah reporting every rumour and gossip. Freedom of speech is sacred in our land and while some of the media went too far and showered you with accusations, don't they have the right ? Is that why today you protect freedom of speech but want terms and conditions to apply ? You have apologised. I am a bit older than you and yet you make me feel like a school girl at your feet. You smile at me. You laugh at my words. You sing for me and you dance around me. It is captivating. You start to sing. You move into a dance. And when all that is over, the media have forgotten the question. Of course I have a lot to say but I don't, because I as a white woman have an opinion about the foibles of your government I am called racist and told to shut up or emigrate. Well, I won't do either ! I will build up enough courage to write you this letter, because it's time we stood up and spoke. Not as whites, not as men and women, but as citizens of a magical country that was given a second chance to make it's dreams come true. I see some leaders pooh pooh FW de Klerk's celebration of his legendary speech of 2nd February 1990 which lead to the freeing of Nelson Mandela and the unbanning of the ANC and SA Communist party (SACP) and other minor irritations. They say it happened only as a result of the Struggle. My skat, the last thing anyone expected was to be handed the nightmare of a bankrupt blood-soaked South Africa. We gave it to you and now it's yours, Innocent. I'm on your side Msholozi, If I may use your clan name, I have no problem with your cultural, traditional weapons of marriage. All your ZuMamas are a joy to behold. I remember seeing them at the opening of parliament last year, when you made your first state-of-the-nation address as president. They were all asleep in the gallery. Thanks to that we know that there are no power hungry Hillary Clintons among them, no overambitious Winnies or scheming Lady Macbeths. I have no problem with you. I have a problem with what the people see in you. My son De Kock, does aids awareness talks at schools. Recently he was at a school in Soweto, demonstrating safe sex through the use of condoms. After the talk a group of senior learners approached him. They liked his presentation. "But must you go on about condoms ? We know," said one. De Kock said he was pleased that they were informed but there were many others that needed the information. "Why?" asked the other young man "We don't need condoms. We have a shower" De Kock laughed loudly, as we all would. There was no smiles on the faces of the young men. "Why do you laugh?" the one asked angrily. "Well" said De Kock, "you refer to Jacob Zuma having a shower after unprotected sex." "So ? what's funny ? Are you calling our president a liar ?" De Kock realised there was no joke here. "Jacob Zuma is our president, We follow by example," was their parting statement. Innocent, you lead by example, like it or not ! If there is one thing you need to impregnate it is our country. Give us the benefit of your strength, your humour, your wisdom, your compassion and your focus. We need you. You might say, "Why must I listen to Evita Bezuidenhout ?" Well if you listen to Julius Malema, I too have a right to your ear. And I passed woodwork at school with a B+. So, vuk'uzenzele, M-shower-lozi ! Practice what you preach and, please, put your love in a plastic bag. Sincerely, Evita Bezuidenhout From Evita Bezuidenhout a popular SA political playwright.

Open letter to Mr President from Evita Bezuidenhout

Dear President Zuma, I won’t address you as Father of the Nation because I know you don’t like formalities. I treasure your allowing me to s...

2:54 PM

South Africa P.I.G.

Malema's millions

Getting to know the real Jacob Zuma

Open letter to Mr President from Evita Bezuidenhout

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