Zuma encourages booing, saying it’s part of democracy
Workers booed Zuma at a May Day rally, who says he’s pleased they ‘have a president they can talk to, they are not going to be arrested ... that is democracy’
On Wednesday, President Jacob Zuma made light of workers booing him at the union federation Cosatu’s May Day rally, saying it was part of democracy. Speaking on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum on Africa in Durban, Zuma said people did not understand what democracy was about. The official Cosatu May Day programme came to an abrupt halt in Bloemfontein on Monday when Zuma and Cosatu president Sdumo Dlamini were heckled and booed, with workers preventing the two from addressing them. Zuma said in countries ruled by dictators booing, protests and debates were not allowed: "In a political democracy people engage heads of state, people criticise heads of state, people call for their removal, etc, because they are expressing freely; that’s the culture of democracy." In a democracy, citizens are allowed to express themselves and governments are elected and removed through the vote, he said: "To me, I’m happy that South Africans have matured ... and they actually have a president t...
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