Zuma exploited patronage very extensively
1 April 2016
Today is April Fool’s Day. Unfortunately, from 2009 South Africa has been living a make belief existence with a president massively exploiting the gullibility of the nation at every turn. With the free use of scarce state resources to extend patronage in every direction, Mr Zuma built a monstrous cabinet packed with innumerable lackeys.
The legislature was also substantially corrupted. ANC MPs in their numbers waited for the call to occupy a higher office. In order to jump the queue, sycophancy prevailed within the ranks of the expectant MPs. The plucking of Des van Rooyen from obscurity in the backbenches to occupy the most prominent position in cabinet showed that dreaming big fitted well with an over eager display of sycophancy. The more embroiled that Zuma became in Nkandlagate, the more exotic became the language of the ANC sycophants and the more daring and reckless their actions.
ENCA, for example, has repeatedly shown Nathi Nhleko saying that his ridiculous exculpatory report on Nkandla “was correct”. Minister Thulas Nxesi has been as industrious also in protecting Zuma and failing to inform parliament that the state paid a substantial amount for air conditioners and building materials, amongst other things not related to security at all. The power of Zuma’s patronage was everywhere to see. Tongues were tied that should have been kept active. The Constitution was willingly trampled in the process. When ANC MPs were forced to choose between the Constitution and Zuma, they dumped the first in favour of the latter. Consequently, the trust with the nation was broken. Parliament has become a joke.
Zuma used patronage extensively to undermine the Constitution and to dangle puppets in key positions in the criminal justice system.