Mr. President, how out of touch can you possibly be?

When President Jacob Zuma was elected into power last year, he listed paying attention to the plight of the poor as one of his key priorities while in Office.

Over a year later, the same man is surprised to see people in the country still live in squalors. I don’t know about you, but is this something new? We all know that poverty lives in our midst.

Zuma has advisors and he has unlimited access to information relating to socio-economic conditions. Surely, the president is aware of the level of poverty and the disgraceful, appalling living conditions some people wake up to each day.

Should the president not be playing ignorant, he really must be that out of touch. I will leave space for a third option. If he is out of touch with the issues of his own country and country men, how then can he lead successfully and impact on the lives of those that know these squalors as home.

If he is surprised at these conditions, how can he possibly uplift those that are suffering the effects of poverty? These are the types whose government houses have been illegally sold to those who can afford them and are not legally entitled to them.

People are poor out there and it does not seem to be getting any better. One can make peace with the fact that for as long as the human race exists on Earth, poverty will be an agonizing reality. That mentality however, would be equal to us giving up too soon and welcoming failure too easily. As has been too commonly said, we need to fight for change. Yes, we must dismiss cropping challenges that may try to hinder us. If we all do our bit, we may still not achieve perfection, but imagine the difference!

He seems under no illusion though when he states that the government must do more to deliver these houses faster as people cannot “live like pigs” some sixteen years after the country first embraced democracy. Bravo, absolutely true. But wait, where have I heard that one before? Oh ja, it is a politician’s common cliché.

What the Zuma government is putting aside for housing includes: R15 million for subsidies this year and a fund worth R1bn to assist citizens who do not qualify to receive credit assistance from banks or a subsidy form government. While it might not seem like much, more funds allocation may not necessarily make a difference.


You just have to look at the incline in service delivery protests to notice how dissatisfied residents of numerous areas in the country are. It’s not necessarily a matter of there being a lack of resources. We know that there is some money being set aside to build houses. And as we have witnessed all too often, a significant number of these houses do not see the ground, while quite a number of those that are built are unsuitable for safe human occupation.

Living in South Africa has shown that corruption happens and money disappears, while unjustified nepotism escalates. That noted, pretending as if this is a problem is exclusive to our county would be an injustice, metaphorically speaking. Nevertheless, we must not accept it. Yes, this is me being patriotic.

It’s great that Zuma is going to rural communities and interacting with them about their grievances. Now let’s see some houses.

The Malema verdict: Am I missing something here?

ANC Youth League president Julius Malema is getting away with quite a lot.

Malema retaliated to President Jacob Zuma's criticism of his ill-behaviour in Limpopo by saying (even) former president Thabo Mbeki would not have taken a similar stance. The disciplinary committee asserted that this implied the youth league had taken a position against Zuma. Malema rightfully pled guilty on this charge.

Mr Malema, the bottom line is that whether you like it or not, your words hold water and you MUST take responsibility for ALL your statements.

Fair enough, an "unconditional" apology has been issued - whether it is sincere or not is something for Malema's conscience.

In his words he said: "I have learned from this mistake and therefore submit myself to the discipline of the ANC."

He now has to participate in anger management classes and attend 20 days of the ANC's political school. Malema has also been fined an amount of R10,000 which he has to pay within three months. The money is intended to benefit a youth development project to be determined by Luthuli House.

What I particularly liked about his statement was the part that said: "I accept that these statements had the effect of undermining the stature of the President of the African National Congress and of the Republic."

Maybe we can expect him to behave, seeing that he is now on two years 'probation'. Should he contravene a part of the ANC Constitution, the likely effect is that he will be suspended from the party.

Three other charges which were brought against Malema (and withdrawn) include bringing the party into disrepute.

Among other things, Malema last month called British journalist a "bastard", "small boy" and "bloody agent" during a press conference. He also lyrically 'shot the boer' several times - something you are probably well aware he got plenty of flack for.

Note that these are all utterances of a youth leader.

Is this plea bargain not just a stone's throw from him getting away scot-free?