PRESIDENT’S PROPAGANDA
SIMON LINCOLN READER: Zuma used peasant image to harvest riches and power
Nelson Mandela’s forgiveness and Thabo Mbeki’s renaissance pale in comparison to Jacob Zuma’s conviction of his status as a victimised peasant
I have many friends who are peasants. In the Cederberg one or two own donkeys, in Portugal many drink red wine from tumblers, and almost all carry thumb-sized tins of Vaseline lip balm. But not a single one wears an Audemars Piguet rose gold watch priced at nearly R800,000. Jacob Zuma’s premiership has been little more than one man’s enjoyment in the unprecedented conviction and contagion of his status as victimised peasant. This was the deliberate foundation of his political personality and something he wore with impunity. By the time he was gifted — or bought — that watch, this project had reached the point of irreversible inference, disarming any intuition or symbolism. Zuma made a number of remarks that disgusted opposition parties and commentators. These ranged from statements made during his rape trial to how he addressed women in Venda and thoughts on homosexuality. But it was in Parliament where he really succeeded in his peasant strategy, either by making up words such as "...
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