Recently it was all joy and happiness in Jacob Zuma’s camp after a South African Judge dropped charges of corruption against the African National Congress leader. Zuma, who is widely seen as the plausible next president of South Africa, was to be charged of cases of corruption which he and his supporters described as politically motivated. They argued that all the cases filed against Zuma are meant to torpedo his political ambitions. Mr. Zuma has been flexing muscles with the former South African President Thabo Mbeki since 2006; they both contested the ANC presidency in an election that humiliated the then president and consequently forced him to resign in 2008. This election however left the ANC split into two factions with Mbeki’s supporters forming their own political party, which is now seen as the main challenger against the ANC in the coming presidential elections. Enemies of the ANC and Zuma who thought that they would use the charges to politically cripple him to dregs were disappointed with the ruling and claimed that it was politically influenced. However, whether the ruling was politically influenced or not, I think the decision made by that judge was right and I believe that any sensible judge would have done the same. There is no sensible judge that can take a decision that will in consequent throw his own country in turmoil. ANC is the South Africa’s strongest political party and whose leader is admired by mostly the young and energetic generation. Any ruling therefore that would implicate such a leader and deny him to proceed with his campaign would most obviously set a country ablaze. Friends, judges also live in society. We shouldn’t some times expect them to make decisions that will affect their nation. I am only wondering what South Africa would look like now if this judge had ruled otherwise. We most probably wouldn’t get the opportunity to watch the World Cup from the beautiful stadiums already built in Pretoria and Johannesburg. With only a few days remaining for the South Africans to go to the polls, I believe this ruling has broken the backbone of the opposition political parties in South Africa. They have lost the first battle; can they win the next? Or do they have plan “B”? Even if they were thinking about it. I don’t think it is the right time for them to plot against Zuma. The only alternative they have now is to prepare for the polls and I am quite sure that Zuma is going to intensify his campaign since he no longer has any external disturbances. His focus and concentration is going to be on voters and I believe that, if the opposition is not careful enough, they are going to be given the hardest punch in the face that might never allow them to wake up any more. The opposition should now start to concentrate on the electoral body instead of wasting time criticizing the decision taken by the judge. Any judge would have taken the same decision in such circumstances even if it were in a different country. Some time back I managed to listen attentively to a discussion of one of Zuma’s strongest supporters in Rwanda and his argument seemed to conclude that at this time South African can not do without Zuma. But I wondered how? If they have managed to do without Nelson Mandela for about 10 years how can they fail without Zuma? Any how, Zuma is now a hot cake and losing him seems to be a great loss for South Africa. But well, let’s wait and see where the world will take South Africa in the next 5 – 10 years. phatari@yahoo.co.uk
