I planned to open this year’s column by regaling you about how intoxicating it was to be on stage during the festive season. As many of you know by now, I’m dabbling in music and I begged for gigs to let the crowds hear my fantastic offerings.
However, I got distracted by politics and you will just have to pardon me while I digress. Still on the subject of music, I came of age in the 90s when hip-hop (and kwaito) ruled the roost.
I greatly admired and listened to both Tupac Shakur and Notorious BIG. But the two rap maestros did not see eye-to-eye and never missed the opportunity to dis each other. The nasty spat culminated in Tupac being shot dead and Biggie being killed a few months later.
Now back to the politics of the governing ANC. The elective December conference saw President Cyril Ramaphosa convincingly thrashing the so-called RET forces and earning himself a second term. While some of his opponents admitted defeat and vowed to work with him to rebuild the organisation, one elephant in the room refused to bow out.
Ramaphosa’s predecessor, former president Jacob Zuma, refuses to slither away. Since the 2017 conference, where his faction was defeated, Zuma has been a thorn on the side of Ramaphosa. Unlike Zuma’s predecessor, Thabo Mbeki, who accepted his recall with dignity and allowed Zuma space to govern, Zuma will not allow Ramaphosa the same courtesy. He has now launched a private bid to have Ramaphosa prosecuted.
The beef between these two old men is unseemly. No stranger to the courts himself, Zuma has always treated the legal fraternity with contempt. It is anybody’s guess what he aims to achieve by distracting Ramaphosa.
I thought the tradition within the ANC was that after conference, the party rallied together to support whoever was elected. However,
Zuma has punctured that balloon and insists on making a clown of himself.
Newly elected ANC secretary-general, Fikile Mbalula, has vowed to reach out to Zuma to smoke a peace pipe with Ramaphosa. Good luck with that, Mr Razzmatazz.
I would suggest the two leaders approach artist Cassper Nyovest to organise about. The fight would garner record views online and make money for everybody concerned.
This is better than making lawyers richer in a matter that could be settled around a Morabaraba board.
Another option could be a Jika Majika type of contest, but we know Zuma would mop the dance floor with Ramaphosa. Our country faces many serious challenges and requires all hands on deck instead of two elephants fighting in the courts.
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