The end of Jacob Zuma?

Could the broad anti-Zuma protests which are now reaching a crescendo across South Africa, finally be bringing the President close to his Ceaușescu moment?  

The humiliating and crushing treatment dished out to Zuma at the main Workers’ Day rally in Bloemfontein on the 1^st of May where he was prevented from speaking by trade unions members, could finally spell the end of his presidency. This is in addition to several months of calls for his to resignation from leaders across the spectrum, including opposition parties, members of the tripartite alliance – Cosatu and the SACP, ANC veterans, three former South African Presidents and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and even members of his own cabinet.

The significance of Zuma booed and heckled will have emboldened the anti-Zuma elements both within the ANC alliance and in the opposition, especially supporters of the EFF, a party which is frequently thrown out of Parliament when disrupting Zuma's speaches. His rapidly diminishing support-base is now limited to group of financial beneficiaries, assorted sycophants and the Gupta family. The rousing applause that Vice-President Cyril Ramaphosa received at a similar venue and his open criticism of Zuma, make it unlikely for the two men to ever appear together at a public venue again. 

When Nicolae Ceaușescu of Romania, Erich Honecker of East Germany were confronted by hostile and resentful crowds and were seen as powerless to do anything about it, the floodgates finally opened and soon led to their downfall. Zuma should keep these examples in mind in case he is considering an authoritarian response to growing opposition to his Presidency, as Matthews Posa warned he might doing.

In either case, South Africa has moved past the point of no-return, where either the masses in the streets will soon bring down Zuma, or his own Party will do so as an act of self-preservation.  

© Johann van Rooyen, 1 May 2017

Also see the author's other blog at  Residency and Citizenship for Investors

ANC government destroying South African tourism sector

A  recent report  by the Tourism Business Council of SA suggests that the number of lost foreign tourists due to changes in South African immigration regulations in 2015 will increase to 100 000, with a direct tourism spend of R1.4bn and the total net loss to the South African GDP of around R4.1bn and a loss of 9 300 jobs.

The changes refer to the requirement for all children under the age of 18 travelling to and from South Africa to be in possession of an unabridged birth certificate in addition to their passport and visa and secondly, that tourists from countries that are required to have a visa to now appear in person during the visa application process in order to obtain a biometric visa. 

Not only is the ANC government led by Jacob Zuma corrupt, incompetent and out of control, but it is now downright suicidal by destroying the booming foreign tourism sector and causing irreparable harm to the South African economy. Can the Deputy President, Cyril Ramaphosa wait too much longer before he gets rid of Zuma through a palace revolution?