Zimbabwe

For a decade to 1973, Jacob Zuma – or JZ as he is known – was an inmate of Robben Island, the infamous prison built on a 1,300-acre slab of rock four miles off the South African coast. A fellow inmate was Nelson Mandela, also inside for treason. Both went on to become presidents of South Africa; but whereas Mandela had the Robben Island prison shut down and turned into a national monument, JZ, who has once again set his sights on high office, now wants it re-opened.

In 2018 Zuma was removed from office by the ruling African National Congress (ANC), accused of theft and embezzlement. It’s bizarre that he has now made a return to politics in the run-up to the May presidential election, but so far his brand of patriotic populism has once more proved appealing.

The new inmates of Robben Island, in Zuma’s vision of the future, will be mothers and babies. In 2023, an estimated 80,000 underage girls, mostly black, became pregnant. Many dropped out of school as a result, so Zuma’s plan is to build a university on the island where these young girls can complete their studies. He has not explained how so many people, along with teachers and other staff, can be accommodated on such a small piece of land.

His other big idea for education is to bring back caning for errant schoolchildren, especially those who play truant. Though corporal punishment has been banned since 1997, Zuma isn’t wrong to think it a popular proposal. In 2022 a survey by the Afrobarometer, a respected polling firm, showed that a majority of South Africans agreed that it’s OK for naughty kids to get a whack.

Zuma, who had little schooling, appeals to the masses as someone who has walked in their shoes

If you remember the TV series House of Cards, with the fictional British prime minister Francis Urquhart, you’ll recall his shock move to bring back national service.

QOSHE - The disruptive comeback of Jacob Zuma - Geoff Hill
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The disruptive comeback of Jacob Zuma

12 1
21.03.2024

Zimbabwe

For a decade to 1973, Jacob Zuma – or JZ as he is known – was an inmate of Robben Island, the infamous prison built on a 1,300-acre slab of rock four miles off the South African coast. A fellow inmate was Nelson Mandela, also inside for treason. Both went on to become presidents of South Africa; but whereas Mandela had the Robben Island prison shut down and turned into a national monument, JZ, who has once again set his sights on high office, now wants........

© The Spectator


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