Jacob Zuma, an affable man with a ready smile, has retained support in the face of adversity, writes BILL CORCORANin Cape Town
THE INAUGURATION of Jacob Zuma as South Africa’s fourth black president next month will mark one of the greatest political comebacks in modern African history.
Four years ago, the African National Congress (ANC) leader’s political career appeared dead and buried when he was sidelined as the country’s deputy president, after rape and corruption charges were brought against him by a HIV-positive woman and the state respectively.
Although corruption charges linked to a multibillion euro government arms deal were dropped by state prosecutors three weeks ago and Zuma was cleared of rape in 2007, the details that emerged during court proceedings would have destroyed most political aspirations.
During his rape trial, Zuma admitted to having sex with a woman he said asked for it because of the way she dressed. And, although state prosecutors withdrew corruption charges because of political interference, there is strong evidence that he has a case to answer.
Nevertheless, throughout his legal battles, Zuma has retained the steadfast support of the majority of the ANC as well as the Communist Party, the trade unions and large swathes of the country’s poor.
An affable man who is quick to smile, he has managed to retain support in the face of such adversity because he is seen as a man of the people and the polar opposite of his predecessor Thabo Mbeki, who is perceived as aloof, uncaring and out of touch.
Zuma’s supporters say he is a charismatic leader who will focus on uplifting the underprivileged rather than big business – something Mebki, ousted as ANC president by Zuma in 2007 and sacked by the party as South Africa’s president last year, was routinely accused of.
His detractors, however, see a man unwilling to face corruption charges despite his pleas of innocence; who tries to be all things to all people – a scenario they fear will destabilise the country when he tries to balance the demands of a free market economy with those of his socialist backers.
He is often derided as a man who has not the pedigree and education to lead a multicultural nation, and for singing outdated liberation songs such as Lethu Mshini Wami (“Bring me my machine gun”) at political rallies.
Political economist Moeletsi Mbeki says he believes Zuma’s legal troubles may have helped his presidential campaign because the national spotlight focused on those rather than a policy debate.
“I don’t think this election was about policies at all. The whole process was overshadowed by Jacob Zuma’s legal problems, and the ANC’s efforts to ensure the charges against him were dropped. There was no real debate around which party could better serve the poor,” he said.
Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma was born on April 12th, 1942, in Inkandla, KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) province, where by all accounts he endured a difficult childhood as a cattle herder and was denied a formal education because he was poor.
He joined the ANC at 17 and in 1962 became an active member of its military wing, Umkhonto We Sizwe (MK). Soon afterwards, he was convicted of conspiring to overthrow the apartheid government and imprisoned for 10 years alongside Nelson Mandela on Robben Island.
Following his release, he went to Mozambique before moving on to Zambia where he joined Mbeki and rose swiftly through ANC ranks. According to many accounts of his time alongside his future nemesis, Zuma was the hammer to Mbeki’s more cultured and educated foil.
During his exile, he was involved in training MK guerrillas but was also involved in intelligence work. In 1990, he
was one of the first leaders to receive immunity from the apartheid regime to return home and take part in negotiations with the white minority government.
He is also credited with convincing his Zulu brethren in KZN to choose politics over violence in the mid-1990s when clashes between the Zulu- dominated Inkatha Freedom Party and the ANC led to the deaths of thousands.
Like him or loath him, the question most asked is whether a man with such a chequered past and limited education is the right person to run a modern economy given his lack of experience.
However, one thing not underestimated is his political survival skills.