Prince Otto von Bismarck, Prime Minister of Prussia (1862–1890), and the first Chancellor of Germany (1871–1890) once described politics thus: “Politics is the art of the possible.” There is no politician is South Africa who imbibes in this conception of politics then the Democratic Alliance (DA) leader, Mmusi Maimane.
Maimane’s short stint at the helm of the DA has produced two classic quotes - the “broken man” and “Planet Zuma.” During the 2015 State of the Nation Address (SONA) Debate, the then DA Parliamentary leader Maimane coined the term, “broken man”. He told President Jacob Zuma thus:
“Please understand, Honourable President, when I use the term “honourable”, I do it out of respect for the traditions and conventions of this august House. But please do not take it literally. For you, Honourable President, are not an honourable man. You are a broken man, presiding over a broken society.”
Fast forward to 2016, the “broken man” has suddenly migrated to “Planet Zuma.” True to form Maimane’s 2016 SONA Speech was titled: “Planet Zuma: Somewhere in a galaxy far, far away.” During his address, he turned his face to make eye contact with President Zuma and delivered the final “actor’s” blow:
“Planet Zuma is where our President lives, in a galaxy far, far away from the lives of ordinary South Africans.”
He wasted no time in listing a litany of what the DA considers to be the problems that that beset our Republic. I am afraid to say, there was absolutely nothing new. According to Maimane:
“Planet Zuma is a place where a swimming pool is called a fire pool. It is a place where all the continents of the world fit into Africa. It is a place where the Finance Minister flies economy class, but the president buys himself a R4 billion jet. Planet Zuma is a place where a President can replace an excellent Finance Minister with a backbencher that nobody has ever heard of. It is a place where an international fugitive wanted for genocide is welcomed and given refuge.”
Maimane’s political summation of South Africa’s problems reminded me of the tragedy of Macbeth in William Shakespeare’s play of the same name. In the play, the lead actor Macbeth opines that life, “is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.” In this scheme of things Maimane is nothing, “but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more.”
No wonder Maimane is by far the most eloquent politician in the National Assembly. He delivers his speeches with flair akin to the famous American evangelists. No wonder they call him the, “Obama of Soweto.” It is in this, “art” of presentation that the substance is often lost. As they say, it is all style over substance.
I posit that Maimane understands of Politics as an “art” as opposed to “science.” In his view, the political scene is a stage whence he must act. Maimane is an epitome of a political actor who struts and frets his stuff somewhere in the West End production. He is a master tactician in the art of nothingness. A celebrated writer in phrase definitions, Joshua Engel argues that to fully appreciate politics as, “an art of the possible,” one must disabuse themselves of the notion of perfectionism.
Engel says, “It's not about what's right or what's best. It's about what you can actually get done.” In the case of Maimane, what gets done is grabbing newspaper headlines after yet another coinage. Politics as an art of the possible is in fact associated with Realpolitik, “a political philosophy of setting pragmatism over your ideological goals.”
In reality, Maimane is a pragmatist, and of course an actor. He knows that he cannot topple Zuma. So he might as well act in Zuma’s political play. For Maimane, President Zuma is a theatre enthusiast – there to be entertained. In his two SONA addresses quoted above, there are no ideological undercurrents, but a regurgitation of newspaper headlines about Zuma and his administration delivered with gusto in a bolstering voice.
Maimane ought to know that the DA lacks a coherent narrative of South Africa present challenges and future prospects. Yet, to prove once and for all that he is a disciple of politics as an art, every other week, he calls for a “No confidence” debate on Zuma. These “no confidence” debates on Zuma are Maimane’s national tours of introducing himself as a lead actor in the politics of the absurd. They serve no other purpose other than giving him an opportunity to practise his “art”. These are nothing but a “brutum fulmen” – a useless thunderbolt.
To reinforce my point about the DA’s lack of coherent narrative, I argued in an article published in the 2013 edition of Transform SA titled: “DA not Ready to Govern - Wanted: a new opposition party” that the DA lacked a coherent alternative economic policy to the African National Congress (ANC). I asked a question why is the DA so obsessed with the ANC’s idea of a Youth Wage. I also said that the DA flip-flopping on the policy of Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) was a clear illustration of the party’s ideological confusion. Lately, the DA is on record supporting the National Development Plan (NDP), often decrying the pace of implementation.
In conclusion, Maimane is yet to take us into his confidence about how a “broken man” miraculously managed to outsmart all of us and migrate to “Planet Zuma.” At the time of going to press the planet scientists were still to confirm if there is a sign of life in “Planet Zuma.”
Bhekisisa Mncube is a former resident political analyst at Gagasi 99.5 FM, now works as a Director responsible for writing services at the Ministry of Basic Education. He writes in his personal capacity.
