Olympic-level gymnastics for rare sighting of ubaba
Shwa watched as members of the fourth estate displayed athletic prowess and sheer desperation, tripping, flipping and catapulting themselves to capture a fleeting image, video clip or soundbite of former president Jacob Zuma in what can only be described as the journalistic equivalent of the Hunger Games.
The scene, which unfolded inside the IEC’s results operations centre at Galagher Estate in Midrand, was a chaotic medley of camera flashes, microphone thrusts, and the occasional yelp of a reporter who underestimated the slipperiness of a banana peel – presumably dropped by a rival journalist in a bid to secure the coveted Zuma scoop.
Not one to miss an opportunity for a bit of spectacle himself, Zuma managed to inject his characteristic charm into the proceedings. He chuckled heartily at the scene, perhaps reminiscing about the days when he could command such attention with merely a cough or a sneeze.
Undoubtedly, the scribes missed Zuma more than he missed politics.
