MANY years ago, in the 1980s, a Michaelis student’s work was vandalised on the eve of a final-year exhibition. The culprit later claimed the student had neglected to inform the wider community at the University of Cape Town that her father was an apartheid cabinet minister, and this provocation had somehow warranted the destruction of her art.
No such apparent insolence, though, with the fruit of our leader’s loins. They readily and regularly inform all and sundry of their particular heritage, especially as they shove their way into the public discourse and there unbidden throw their weight about with much impunity.
And so it was with Edward Zuma’s touching defence of his father this week. It was the injunctive tone of the headline that did it for us, here at the Mahogany Ridge: “Max du Preez, stop spreading lies about my DAD (President Jacob Zuma) — Edward Zuma.”
The parenthesis was a clincher. Because we had actually momentarily forgotten who, in fact, his father was. But no matter. There followed from young Edward an emotional, perhaps paranoid, outburst accusing the veteran commentator of being a “bitter old white man” and a “hypocrite and a liar” who was in the employ of mysterious and shadowy Boland billionaires.
It would appear that Zuma junior was particularly annoyed at a passing reference in a recent Du Preez column that he and his siblings and other clan members had become very rich very quickly as a result of his father’s ties with the Gupta family.
Edward denied that he had a “relationship … that is business related” with the family, insisting that he was very much a “self made business person in my own right”.
He further charged that it was “stupid and very selective of [Du Preez] to single out the Zuma family when there are known billionaires who are also politicians that also have relationships with certain families that practically own South Africa and Du Preez is also one of their boys who suck up to them whenever they cough”.
This was an echo of the allegations, first made by Jacob Zuma at the ANC’s national executive meeting last weekend, that Johann Rupert had summonsed a senior ANC member to a meeting over Des van Rooyen’s appointment as finance minister.
The New Age, ever delusional at such times, later identified this ANC politician as Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa.
A greatly angered Rupert responded with dark mutterings of lunatics and conspiracy theorists, but helpfully suggested that Zuma step down. “Yes,” he said, “for the children’s future, please resign.”
It’s an appeal that should resonate strongly with the President. He does believe that children should have a future, and we can remember, back in 2000, when he was deputy president, his support for Edward when the latter was arrested for allegedly raping a 17-year-old fellow student at the University of Zululand.
Charges were withdrawn allegedly after the matter had been resolved “amicably”. The Mail & Guardian quoted Zuma’s spokesperson as saying “the complainant willingly withdrew the charges, saying that she had acted emotionally in a ‘lovers’ tiff’”.
However, noseweek later reported that Zuma’s then financial adviser and good friend, Shabir Shaik, had allegedly arranged payments to the girl as an inducement to retracting her accusation. Six installments of R7 000 were mentioned.
Edward has since expressed a great concern about allegations of rape. Further echoing his father’s sentiments about the work of artists and satirists, he launched an attack on Ayanda Mabulu in October last year over his painting, The Pornography of Power, which depicted the President engaged in a “spit roast”, a threesome style popular with certain British footballers.
“It is true that this country is facing many challenges,” Edward said, “but to say our father is raping and molesting the country is not only an insult to us as the family but to the whole country.”
Elsewhere, the Ithala Development Finance Corporation took legal action against Edward in 2012 for defaulting on loans worth R5-million; he had to be taken to court before agreeing to pay maintenance for his son; Sars has accused him of allegedly trading in contraband cigarettes; and he’s expressed support for King Goodwill Zwelithini’s controversial call to deport foreigners.
This is not bad going for a self-made business person in his own right.
But Edward is right about one thing: not all of the Zuma children are involved with the Guptas. Several are professional shoppers, two are well-known actresses, one dabbles in Scientology, one used to work at the Department of Telecommunications but then resigned presumably because of the peanut salary and went on to pursue other interests.
Duduzane, on the other hand, is thick with the Guptas. But more of that later.
This article first appeared on the Weekend Argus.
