Macbeth (Shakespeare, 1606) is one of my favourite books by William Shakespeare. In the book, Shakespeare eloquently and in his polished English depicts Macbeth as a once powerful and noble securocrat turned into a rogue.
Macbeth was nurtured and groomed within the security establishment; he therefore understood the leadership hierarchy and which levels of that hierarchy he could never get to. His turning point in the book is when he allowed the three witches space and time to corrupt his mind. His turning point was when he echoed the words "stay you imperfect speakers, tell me more". He knew that the witches' intentions were not noble but the sound of their words sweet.
Almost all literature available on President Zuma; it is clear that even those who backed him for the Presidency in 2007, never had confidence in him. Theirs like the witches was a calculated risk probably aimed at amassing wealth and power.
President Zuma's rise to and assumption of power ushered in muddy waters in many areas of the Republic including public confidence in both the African National Congress and Government. We have witnessed unprecedented levels of absolute arrogance displayed by those currently leading the governing party where they clearly play the role of being rulers than members of a governing party. In many respects the rule of law has been reduced to that which should be followed by others and not those in the "ruling class". The refusal to release the alleged spy tapes even though a competent court has ruled otherwise exemplifies the extent to which the law does not apply to the "ruling class". Many other ills have characterized President Zuma's first term in office.
When Macbeth occupied office, his term too was characterized by many ills. The witches never stopped using him for their personal gain. In fact they continued feeding him untruths that further propelled his arrogance and greed. The untruths made him believe he would rule forever. The imperfect speakers told him that his incumbency will would only end when Birnam wood moves to Dunsinane Hill and that he could never be defeated by a man who is not of woman born.
With the 53rd National Conference in our doorstep; for the imperfect speakers the verdict seem to be out; that President Zuma will come back for the second term. The current numbers suggest as presented by some within his inner circle suggest that indeed anybody who stands against him will lose. When it comes to elections, a friend of mine always reminds me that "Men lie, women lie but numbers do not".
What Macbeth did not realise was that the moving of the Birnam wood may not be literal. He also forgot that Macduff was a caesarean baby. What we may have forgotten is that these numbers are made up of men and women who according to my friend, lie. If they did lie, could it be that they lied to gain access to the conference? The truth will however always melt frivolous snows.
With the prospects of losing; maybe the reason Kgalema Motlanthe decided to stand against President Zuma is as a result of Pluto (380 BC) in the Republic when he says "The heaviest penalty for declining to rule is to be ruled by someone inferior to yourself."
Olwethu Sipuka
Centurion
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