President Zuma is a walking-talking disaster

14 December 2015

South Africa cannot afford to have a President who is a walking-talking disaster. There is no other way to describe him.

Congress of the People has seen President Zuma making one bad appointment after another. The last was his worst and his most irrational and ill conceived. President Zuma is such a disaster that his remaining in office will continue to impact South Africa very negatively - the effects of which will last for a long time. His recall can no longer be delayed.

President Zuma has once again exposed himself as a clueless and floundering head of state who is incapable of directing the government. Why did the President not consult his executive and his party’s leadership before plunging our country into financial and fiscal turmoil? Why did his party and the alliance partners not rein him in immediately to contain the fallout? Why did South Africa have to experience five days of havoc with incalculable losses to millions of South Africans? Does the President not have any capable advisers or has he become so arrogant as to dispense with the advice of everyone and follow his own behest? Did his romantic dalliance overcome every responsibility to the state?

Yet again, out of the blue, this time on a Sunday evening, came the announcement from the President that he had switched Van Rooyen to COGTA and Gordhan to Finance. Such a thing happens only in a Banana Republic.

COPE remains baffled why the President removed minister Nene in the first place. The reason he gave is simply lousy and untenable. Crucially, why was Nene not reappointed ? Why was he humiliated the way he was? Nene did what he did for the sake of South Africa and that is the standard every minister should subscribe to. Is the President so full of himself that he could not humble himself to ask Nene to come back to the relief of everyone?

President Zuma and the ANC must know that extensive damage has already been done to the economy; and the confidence of investors has been thoroughly shaken. Investors and entrepreneurs need certainty, continuity and clarity. President Zuma rattled them on all three accounts. Nobody knows what is going to happen after another five days. Who can really blame nervy investors when they can no longer predict what is going to happen next.

For investments to return to South Africa, voters must act in concert to remove the ruling party from government.

Issued by Dennis Bloem, Spokesperson, COPE, 14 December 2015