Against the background of the 2019 election, the interaction between Jacob Zuma as the former president of the republic and various structures of the state take on some of the qualities of The Mikado, the operetta by WS Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan, which was first staged in 1885. It must be the most popular and entertaining of all their work, the plot being a complicated farce driven by a musical score and a libretto that do each other inspired justice. If one assigns the role of the Mikado himself to Zuma, the character fit is not bad, for both depict an unprincipled and grotesquely unpleasant head of state, making ruthless misuse of the powers they hold. The chorus sings: Our great Mikado, virtuous man,When he to rule our land began,Resolved to tryA plan wherebyYoung men might best be steadied.So he decreed, in words succinct,That all who flirted, leered or winked(Unless connubially linked),Should forthwith be beheaded … Let’s re-write that: Our Msholozi, the very sameWho once o...
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