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Jacob Zuma becomes South Africa’s President, Microsoft Word format

Jacob Zuma becomes South Africa’s President, Rich Text format

Jacob Zuma was inaugurated as President of South Africa in May 2009, after the national elections the previous month which saw his party, the African National Congress (ANC), sweep to victory.

He is seen as a man with a common touch, connected to “the people” (ah, that old Communist phrase), friendly, affable, humble, with a ready smile and a hearty laugh. But just who is Jacob Zuma, really? South Africa, and the world, needs to know, given the fact that he is now in charge of the most powerful country in Africa.

Jacob Zuma –

* is an ANC ex-revolutionary (he and his cronies would call him an ex-“freedom fighter”);

* is a life-long Communist, although he seems to have been anxious that this fact not become widely known, as his membership of the SA Communist Party (from which he may now have resigned) is not mentioned either in government or ANC biographies (although, curiously, it is mentioned in his own autobiography);ⁱ

* was, according to his own autobiography, a member of “Nat”, the dreaded security department of the ANC when it was banned in SA, and popularly known as “Mbokodo” – “the stone that crushes”– which was involved in routine, horrifying and bizarre acts of torture against its own people;ⁱⁱ

* went on trial in 2007 for rape, of which he was acquitted; but by his own admission, despite being a polygamist, he certainly did have a sexual affair with the young girl who was HIV-positive; and afterwards he took a shower because he thought this would protect him from contracting AIDS;

* went on trial again afterwards, this time on multiple charges of fraud, corruption, bribery and racketeering, involving millions of Rand; but all charges were dropped just before the election was held, in a move that was widely believed to be politically motivated and a travesty of justice;

* sings a song, at public rallies, with the words “bring me my machine gun”, a revolutionary song from the days when the ANC was conducting a terrorist campaign against SA’s previous white government;

* has surrounded himself with open high-ranking Communists and other radicals;

* displays at best an indifference, and at worst a hostility, towards such things as freedom of speech and the rule of law;

* has stated publicly that the ANC will rule the country “until Jesus comes back”.ⁱⁱⁱ

None of this concerns the false “church” leaders who have enthusiastically supported him throughout his trials! Not a whit. They regularly pray for him, lay hands on him, and never mention his immorality or anything else. He was even made an honorary pastor in a church in 2007! But this is to be expected of the leftist promoters of the diabolical doctrine of “liberation theology”, who were fully supportive of the terrorist ANC during the years of its terror campaign against the state. They are wolves in sheep’s clothing. For them, the Bible is nothing but a document to be twisted and distorted to justify their support for a political “gospel”.

And none of this concerns his devoted and fanatical supporters, either, who appear willing to follow him to the ends of the earth, no matter what he has done. Some of them, indeed, have even publicly stated that they would “kill for Zuma”! Yet neither his supporters’ shenanigans, nor his own, have harmed his popularity among the black masses. As was reported in a South African newspaper in 2007, Zuma “has not only weathered the storm but risen in prominence, dragging with him a coterie of suspect cronies, like dirty froth rising to the surface of the body politic.”^iv

Not only is he an honorary pastor, not only do religious leaders regularly show their total support for him and ignore his character, but also he was, until not that long ago, the head of South Africa’s “Moral Regeneration Movement”, the purpose of which was supposedly to halt the moral collapse that has been occurring in the country ever since the ANC came to power and instituted legislation favouring pornography, abortion, homosexuality, access to contraception for children, the “rights” of criminals, etc., etc. First the ANC government brings in all this disgusting legislation; and then it wonders why the morals of society go into freefall, and throws its weight behind the national “Moral Regeneration Movement” to attempt to fix the mess it created, yet without repealing the legislation legalising immorality of all kinds! One can be forgiven for thinking SA is governed by madmen. And to top it all, Jacob Zuma headed up this movement for the “moral regeneration” of society! It would be a joke if it wasn’t so tragic.

As if ungodly men could ever bring about an individual’s or a society’s moral regeneration anyway. Regeneration (the new birth) is the sovereign work of the Holy Spirit of God, and Him alone (Jn. 3:1-8).

How, then, are we to account for Zuma’s phenomenal rise to power, when everything seemed so against him for so long? There are a number of reasons.

For one thing, the ANC rank and file became frustrated at former President Mbeki’s slow pace of economic “transformation”. They wanted to see a more rapid promotion of Marxist economic principles than Mbeki was prepared to tolerate. It’s not that Mbeki wasn’t “transforming” the economy; but he was doing it slowly, so as not to frighten investors, and he was doing it according to new-style Communist economics, which has recognised that outright Marxist economic policies simply do not work, and that Capitalistic policies have to be used as well. But all this was not enough for the unthinking mobs who were demanding everything, and demanding it immediately.

For another thing, Mbeki was aloof from the masses, and dictatorial in his style, paying little attention to the mobs whenever he made any decision. This was unacceptable to the masses of ANC supporters, who demanded a president who would take them seriously, and basically implement whatever they decreed. It is a form of mob rule, essentially. The ANC promised the millions of black poor in SA that when it came to power, they would be given everything their hearts desired: houses, cars, jobs, you name it. Of course, those in the top echelons of the ANC knew this was crazy: they said these things to rally the masses behind them, so that those masses would sweep them to power. And it happened. Nelson Mandela came to power, and the country rode the wave of liberal and Red euphoria at his victory. Things didn’t change much for the masses: in fact, wealthy white faces were simply replaced with wealthy black faces at the top. Then when Mandela stepped down, Mbeki became president, and he, for all his many faults, was wise enough to realise that outright, mob-rule economic Marxism would be a disaster for SA. He trod very cautiously, and although in other respects his presidency was a train smash for the country, economically SA did not fare too badly, all things considered.

But it is now fifteen years since the ANC’s rigged victory, and “the people” are growing increasingly restless. They have not seen too many of the ANC’s pie-in-the-sky promises being kept. The millions of poorly-educated, semi-literate masses, who have been fed the Marxist lie and have believed it, want a president who will give them everything on a plate. And they believe Zuma to be that man. They don’t care about his sexual affair, nor about the many other charges which were brought against him, nor about his quite frightening statements about what he really thinks of the independence of the judiciary and media freedom. And like the millions of women who voted for the immoral Bill Clinton in the United States, millions of female ANC supporters, usually expressing such concern about the tens of thousands of women raped in SA every year, turned a blind eye to Zuma’s sexual shenanigans, and declared that they wanted him anyway. He was swept to power riding a wave of popularity that has only ever been trumped by that of Mandela himself.

It is impossible to predict the future. But, judging by what we already know, a Zuma presidency does not bode well for South Africa. We would rejoice if, despite everything, Zuma ended up being a good president, a great president, putting his country first and serving all its citizens honourably and justly, and truly this is what we pray much for, if God so wills. But right now there is much that is very ominous and frightening:

First, there is his own trademark song, “Bring me my machine gun.” This does nothing to make English and Afrikaans South Africans feel comfortable at the thought of a Zuma presidency, his recent overtures to the Afrikaners notwithstanding, given the fact that this song was born in the ANC’s brutal terrorist revolution against the South African state.

Second, there is the fact that he, as a Communist at heart, who has surrounded himself with Communists and thugs, could so very easily pander to the mobs who have supported him through all his trials. They are already demanding rewards for this support, and one cannot see how he will refuse them. Thirdly, there is the extremely ominous trend, among his fanatical supporters, to think that the ANC is above the law, higher even than the government. The Zuma-supporting secretary-general of the ANC Youth League, for example, is on record as having said: “The ANC does not account to government [but] it is the government that should account to the ANC.” And Zuma himself has stated that the ANC constitution should take precedence over the South African constitution.

Fourthly, there is the decided lack of respect for the law, and the judiciary, from his most vocal (and powerful) supporters. For example, when charges were brought against Zuma, the KwaZulu-Natal region of Cosatu (the Congress of SA Trade Unions), one of the ANC’s allies, stated that “South Africa will be plunged into chaos and there will be blood-letting” as a result. KZN Cosatu leader Zet Luzipho actually went so far as to say, “People are angry… this time there will be blood in the courtroom.” This is frightening talk, and given the history of Africa, it is not far-fetched. To his credit, Zuma replied, “No, no, no. That is precisely what I don’t want. I do not want people to die and shops and cars to be set alight. I understand the people’s anger… But there are other, legal means for them to air their opinions and give voice to their unhappiness. Violence is not the answer and I will never sanction it. I call on everyone to remain calm and act legally.” Very good words. Encouraging words. Words to make all decent citizens of the country breathe a whole lot easier – if he meant them. Unfortunately though, this is Africa, and time and time again the words that have come out of leaders’ mouths do not match their actions. Mugabe said all the right things, too, when he first came to power. How Christians must pray that this time, contrary to his own background and to all expectations, Zuma will yet become a leader who goes against the trend in Africa!

Fifthly, there is his attitude towards media freedom. In January 2008 he made the statement that each day brought “fresh instances of a media that, in general terms, are politically and ideologically out of synch with the society in which [they] exist.” He added: “There are few, if any, mainstream media outlets that articulate a progressive left perspective.” This was published on the ANC’s official website. “This is one of the reasons why, although there may be plenty of newspapers and magazines on our newsstands, and a multitude of radio and TV stations occupying our airwaves, the overall orientation of South African media is politically conservative.” He went on: “At times, the media function as if they are an opposition party.”

These were very, very dangerous words. Taking each one of Zuma’s statements quoted above, what was he saying? He was saying that: a)the media must be politically and ideologically on the side of the ruling Marxist ANC; b)the media must promote a “progressive left perspective” (i.e. a Communist perspective); c)it is wrong for the media to be politically conservative (actually the SA media is, sadly, very far from being conservative! It is for the most part decidedly liberal and leftist); d)the media should not oppose the ANC.

And then, of course, came the inevitable blame being laid: it’s all the fault of apartheid! After saying the media function as an opposition party, Zuma added: “In part this can be explained by the structure, culture and values of the media inherited from apartheid, and by the commercial forces that drive most media institutions.” What utter nonsense! Every time the ANC needs a scapegoat, apartheid and the whites are blamed. The reality in SA today is that blacks control large swathes of the media, many of whom are deeply sympathetic to the ANC.

Zuma then said that an effort had to be made to “transform [their favourite word, a cover-up for total control of every aspect of life in SA, to use the words of the late ANC stalwart Steve Tshwete] the South African media environment so that it becomes more representative of the diversity of views and interests in society, more accessible to the majority… and less beholden to commercial interests.” Translation: take control of the media. This is naked Communism and unless SA wakes up, what little is left of its freedoms (most have already been taken away or undermined) will evaporate.

The top leadership structures of the ANC are firmly in the hands of the Communist Left: the SA Communist Party, the Congress of SA Trade Unions, etc.

Various pieces in the liberal press have given the impression that Mbeki and his cabinet were all centre-left politicians but not outright Communists; but that the Zuma camp is a hardline Communist one. But the truth is not that simple, and is more sinister, and we should never lose sight of two facts:

Firstly, the fact that the ANC has been for decades a Marxist-dominated organisation! It did not become a Communist-dominated party only under Zuma; it has been a Communist-dominated party for many, many years! But there are two types of Communist in the world now. There is the old-style Communist, represented by such as Castro, Mugabe and others, who still follow the classic, old-style form of Communism that the world came to know and fear for so many decades in the twentieth century; and there is the new-style Communist, who does not even use the term, who prefers to speak of himself as a “Social Democrat”, who follows a more Capitalistic economic policy (having recognised the failure of the old-style economics), but who in most other ways is fully committed to the ongoing Communist revolution worldwide. Such are the present leaders of Russia and other eastern European states. Mbeki fell into this latter camp; Zuma appears to fall into the former. Certainly many of his cronies do. Communism did not die with the fall of the Berlin Wall and the orchestrated “collapse” of the Soviet Union; it simply metamorphosed into a form that has fooled the western world, and has been making giant advances ever since throughout the west which naively thinks it is a has-been ideology.

Seen in this light, then, the Zuma victory appears to mean that, for now, old-style Communism may have triumphed in SA. It is far more open about its Communist policies, and it is geared far more to the mobs, the masses, “the people” (to use that old Communist phrase). Both forms of Communism are deadly; and Communists will make use of either one to advance their cause, depending on what they perceive the need is at any given time.

Secondly, the ANC has been relentlessly pursuing the second stage of its two-stage revolution in SA. The first stage was the one that brought it to power in 1994; and the moment that occurred, the second stage began, the purpose of which is to extend party control over all aspects of life in the country. To reassure jittery investors and keep the populace from panic, the years since 1994 have seen the advance of this second stage, but at a slower pace. This was planned from the beginning. But the time has now arrived for the ANC to increase the momentum, in its judgment; to push forward the Marxist agenda in all spheres at a more rapid rate than before – a more openly revolutionary rate.

Thus, the Mbeki era giving way to the Zuma era is merely the next stage in a very carefully laid-out plan. There are forces at work here that are far bigger than these two men. Far bigger.

Christians are praying for President Zuma, as the Bible instructs them to do (1 Tim. 2:1,2), for they are not rabble-rousers, rebels, or revolutionaries: they accept that the sovereign Lord of heaven and earth has permitted Jacob Zuma to become the president of South Africa. Truly, even when the rulers themselves do not know it, it is the Lord who removes and sets up those in authority, for His own wise reasons (Dan. 2:21), and thus “there is no power [authority] but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God” (Rom. 13:1). Christians are praying for him; and, despite everything that is bad in his past, he, as president, may yet surprise us; for “The king’s heart [or the president’s] is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will” (Prov. 21:1). If God so wills, he may yet prove to be a good president for the country, for nothing is too hard for the Lord to bring to pass. And, we have to admit, there have been, in very recent times, a few encouraging things. Just a miserable few; but when SA is in as much trouble as it is, we’re happy for anything positive to come out of Jacob Zuma’s mouth, however small it may be.

There was, for example, his statement, after the ANC’s victory in the elections, that he would be a president for all South Africans. “To those South Africans who did not vote for the ANC, we will form a government that takes care of your needs to the best of our ability,” he said.^v

There was also his speech when he was sworn in as president-elect in early May. He said, “Madiba [Nelson Mandela] taught us the importance of forgiveness, reconciliation and humility. He made us walk tall and proud to be South Africans. I will do my best to lead the country towards the realisation of Madiba’s vision of a truly non-sexist, non-racial South Africa, united in its diversity. With the support of my organisation, the ANC, as well as all South Africans, I hope to lead the country on a path of friendship, co-operation, harmony, unity and faster change.”^vi Now of course, Mandela did no such things as Zuma gave him credit for. This is part of the Mandela myth. And also we have no time for all this nonsense about “non-sexism”. And his statement about “faster change” sends a chill down the spine. But giving credit where it is due, his words about the importance of unity in diversity, friendship, co-operation, harmony and unity were good words, and truly all decent citizens wish him well in any efforts to achieve these things, if he truly means them. He would have the full support and co-operation of all right-minded South Africans if he sincerely sought the well-being of the country in this way.

In the same speech he said other very good and encouraging things. He said: “We also intend to start a new chapter in relations between the government and the opposition. We reiterate that it should be possible to work with opposition parties on issues that are in the national interest. While appreciating a robust opposition, we also trust that we will be able to move slightly away from the dogmatic approach, which turns every issue into a contentious one.”

Yes, these have been a few encouraging things. But let’s not over-react here. These are very early days in the Zuma presidency, and politicians have a habit of saying many good things when they first come to power – things which they later deny by their actions. Especially is this true in Africa. So we simply cannot afford to get excited. As is always the case, actions speak louder than words. When Jacob Zuma actually puts his nice-sounding statements into action, that will be the time to rejoice. Not now.

President Zuma lost no time in announcing his new cabinet. The good news is that “dead wood” such as the previous next-to-useless former Health Minister, Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, former Correctional Services Minister Ngkonde Balfour, and former Defence Minister Charles Nqakula, are no longer in the cabinet at all. It was also feared that radical Winnie Mandela would be included, but she was not. However, with only a few exceptions, the new cabinet is strongly pro-Communist:

* The new Minister of Higher Education and Training is Blade Nzimande, the general secretary of the South African Communist Party;

* The new Finance Minister is Pravin Gordhan, who was active in the ANC’s revolutionary “struggle”, a founding member of the United Democratic Front, which was the ANC’s internal wing in the 1980s, and a key leader of the ANC’s underground structures in KwaZulu-Natal province when the ANC was banned under the previous government;

* The Minister of Economic Development is Ebrahim Patel, an ultra-leftist;

* The Deputy Minister of Police is former ANC Youth League firebrand leader, Fikile Mbalula;

* Most of the other cabinet posts are also now held by Communists or strong Communist sympathisers. It must be remembered that the ANC is made up of a very strong Communist component, and that the rest are perfectly content to be in alliance with Communists and the Communist Party, showing where their own sympathies lie. The ANC is a Communist-dominated party.

The previous Health Minister, Barbara Hogan, a woman who, despite being an ANC member, actually got things done and helped to improve the Health Department during her short term in charge, has been moved to Public Enterprises.

The only conservative appointee, and a real surprise, is Dr Pieter Mulder, who has been appointed as Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. He is not an ANC member, but the leader of the Freedom Front Plus, an Afrikaner party strongly opposed to the ANC in every way. In recent months Zuma has held a number of talks with Afrikaner leaders, even going so far as to say that the Afrikaners are the only true white South Africans – a statement which caused an outcry from English South Africans and which, very regrettably, Afrikaner leaders did not strongly condemn.^vii Whether Mulder’s appointment is good news or not remains to be seen, for although the Freedom Front Plus is ecstatic about the appointment, believing that the Freedom Front Plus “should not summarily reject the hand of co-operation which is being extended”,^viii it could very well be nothing but an attempt, by Zuma and his Red cronies, to placate the Afrikaners, making them feel as if the ANC cares about them and their needs, thereby neutralising any real effective opposition from them. We can truly sympathise with the reasons for Mulder accepting the position – no doubt genuinely hoping that this will provide him with an opportunity to serve his people – but we ask: will he be able to maintain his previously strong and vocal opposition to the ANC and to Zuma, when he now sits as a minister in Zuma’s cabinet? It could ultimately do far more harm than good; especially as he is only a deputy minister, answerable to his new boss, the ANC minister in real charge of the portfolio, having no real power and thus very limited opportunity to do any real good for his people. Time will tell whether the Freedom Front Plus will continue to maintain its previously admirable record of standing up to the ANC and its Communism, its affirmative action policies, its blatant racism and hatred of conservative whites, its turning a blind eye to the murders of thousands of white South Africans, its destruction of Afrikaner history and culture, and so much more. How will Mulder be able to serve in a cabinet made up of men and women who fight against everything he stands for, and who have chanted such slogans in the past as “Kill the Boer, Kill the Farmer”? We fear Afrikaner leaders may have been duped by Zuma’s statements. We would be very happy if we are proved wrong; time will tell. In years gone by, the ANC gave Mangosuthu Buthelezi, leader of the Inkatha Freedom Party, a cabinet post, and it backfired against him. We sincerely hope the same will not ultimately prove to be the case with this appointment.

How wonderful it would be if President Zuma, contrary to all expectations, turned out to be the best president SA has had since 1994! What a legacy, to go down in history as a man whom even his critics and opponents had to concede rose above his shady past, jettisoned his Communist leanings, turned his back on his involvement in the terrorist tactics used by the ANC before it came to power, and ended up being a president who cared for the wellbeing of all its citizens, without distinction! Is that a lot to hope for? It certainly is; humanly speaking, in fact, it is impossible. But the Lord can turn his heart. As stated earlier, we cannot predict the future, and things are so bad in SA these days that hope is all anyone has, humanly speaking. Of course, the Christian has something greater, which is faith in God! The Christian can resort to prayer, and when all around appears dark and hopeless, he finds in his Lord and Saviour all that he needs.

We ask true Christians everywhere to pray for President Jacob Zuma, for South Africa, and for the true Christian Church in this country!

May 2009

Shaun Willcock is a minister of the Gospel and lives in South Africa. He runs Bible Based Ministries. For other news articles (which may be downloaded and printed), as well as details about his books, audio messages, pamphlets, etc., please visit the Bible Based Ministries website; or write to the address below. If you would like to be on Bible Based Ministries’ electronic mailing list, to receive all future articles, please send your details.

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