So Helen Zille feels that President Zuma did a good job, except for the fact that he is not acting like an executive president, but more like a deployee of Luthuli House. Well, duh, what else is he supposed to be? For the Helen-ites out there, let me explain carefully how South Africa’s electoral system works.
First, a political party registers with the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) their interest to contest an election. At a certain time, those parties are required to pay a certain fee. The parties are then asked to submit their lists of candidates to the IEC and a panel looks at individual names and decides on their fitness for public office. Once that process is completed the IEC informs parties and publishes the final lists as consented to by the Electoral Court.
Normally, a party would have as its number-one candidate the person it proposes to become the president of the republic, should it secure majority vote.
When the IEC prints the final ballot paper, it normally puts on the name of the party, the abbreviation used by the party, the party emblem (symbol) and a picture of the party leader or number-one candidate. Through all general elections since 1994 the national ballot reflected the face of the ANC president.
Let’s look at recent history. Since 1994, the ANC has won all the general elections. So, the IEC looks at the election results and declares the seats every party gets in Parliament. The Chief Justice than declares a date for the first sitting of Parliament where all new members are sworn in. The person intended to become the president, is also sworn in as a member of parliament (MP) since the law requires Parliament to elect a person to be the president of the republic from among members of Parliament. Once that person has been elected, s/he automatically resigns as an MP, and his/her seat is taken by the next person on the party’s list.
In terms of our electoral system, it is possible for an independent person to become an MP if that person can secure enough votes. So, far, only political parties have contested general elections. That means that any person who becomes an MP, would do so representing a party in Parliament, not him or herself.
So, even the president of the country would be a person deployed by his/her party to that office. That’s why I am totally confused by Zille’s comments on the status of the president. At no stage during the ANC’s election campaign did the president say that he would do this or he would do that. The president of the country always speaks of we and us, reflecting the unitary status of the Cabinet (executive), whereas the president of the ANC would use the same terms to refer to statements of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the ANC.
No president of the ANC or of the republic since 1994 has ever spoken from an individual point of view or reflected personal viewpoints. All statements to that effect were informed by ANC policy. Under our current system nothing could happen without approval from the ANC. So, it makes sense that the president would take all issues to the NEC, where a decision is taken on how to approach those issues.
Would Zille address an issue without first discussing it in her party’s leadership structures? I don’t think so. So, why is it so wrong for the president to act in the same way? At the end of the day, Zuma has never stood in any general election, did he? The ANC won the 2009 general elections and decided that Zuma should represent the party in the office of the President of the Republic.
I think Zille et al could not really find fault with the president’s first 100 days, so they came up with a petty issue to complain about. At the end of the day, we are so used to their strategy of opposing merely for the sake of opposition.
Fortunately, we had a host of journalists, media and independent analysts all concurring that the president has done a sterling job in his first 100 days, something mirrored by a recent poll showing increasing approval ratings of the Big Man.
Hi Shareef
I think that you may have misunderstood or misinterpeted the point that Zille was making.
Thank you for your summary of the Electoral process in SA, which whilst not completely accurate in every detail, captures the essential elements quite well.
I am very sure that Helen Zille understands the electoral process in minute detail, and does not require a paraphrased summary.
I suspect that Zille may have been alluding to the apparent difficulty that ZUMA and the ANC have in separating the state and the party – they are separate entities, not synonymous.
The reference was also to the perception that is growing that Luthuli house is calling the shots and running the country, not parliament.
Unlike the members of parliament, the residents of Luthuli house were not voted into power by the electorate and do not have a mandate from the SA public.
The President of the country is always expected to put the interests of the country ahead of the interests of the party and its members.
Your reference to the “collective” argument – ie it is the collective that make decisions in the ANC, not the individual, has a major flaw – as soon as wrongdoing is uncovered, or patently bad decisions are reviewed then the ANC immediately distances itself and fingers an individual.
Thabo Mbeki appears to be the current favoured scapegoat.
President Zuma was part of the “collective” that fashioned the policy on HIV / Aids, fashioned the policy on Zimbabwe (silent diplomacy, covert support).
B-o-r-i-n-g.
And you obviously missed the point Zille was making completely.
Why am I not surprised?
I think what she is saying is that JZ does not seem to be his own man but rather is a puppet ruled by others. Thabo was his own man. He led the ANC with ideas etc, whereas JZ seems to be following the idea of others.
I think JZ’s inclusive management style tends to show as weak on decisive leadership.
However I prefer JZ’s style of leadership to that of Thabo – Helen does not.
First hundred days, where did we get this idea. It is early days still to evaluate Zuma s reign. The President should act in the interest of all South Africans irrespective. From that we must ascertain if the ANC itself is in the best interest of all South Africans. They promise a better life for all and being in the majority this should then be seen in the community. Look around and judge for yourself. Zille is the opposition and any praise for the president would always be accompanied by a but. Just to keep him on his toes. And yes, Zille too, will hopefully be judged on what she and her party accomplish. Her remark may seem a petty issue but she herself has been the butt of various petty issues from the other side.
“The President of the country is always expected to put the interests of the country ahead of the interests of the party and its members.” Peter L summed it up very well above. I did not vote ANC, but I respect the appointment of a president by the majority of the electorate. I refer to him as “Mr President” and “our President”, and we expect him in turn to respect the needs of “the citizens” of the entire RSA, and NOT only HIS electorate. Very simple what Mrs Zille Meant?
Just stating the obvious
I think the President did a sterling job notwithstanding the fact that he was under severe pressure at home during the service delivery protests, strike action by unions, recession and various other issues highlighted by the media, et all. Whether the President is his ‘own man’ or not is not the issue but our electoral sytem. Helen Zille is a political opportunists and any opportunity she gets to blubber her month, just because she can, doesn’t mean to say that she’s not without fault. She might be as some would say, a good administrator but judge her by the service delivery in the Western Cape. Call a spade a spade.
I guess zille was upset cos her party doesnt have any policies, so what would she do if she was president, except whatever she felt like!….just more of maintaining the staus quo like she’s doing in the w cape…
Missed the point.
Also this whole ANC story of the President being a simple, humble leader for the will of the party is the greatest bullsh*t story since the church tried to convince us the earth was the centre of the universe. The President hand picks the people in the most powerful positions around him. Those people are loyal to him and the end result is a structure in which a single individual effectively calls the shots. Mbeki was a great example. His views on HIV and his selection of a puppet called Manto forged AIDS policy here in SA and killed a calculated 320 000 people. Thats right, the Prewsident’s PERSONAL idiotic views manifested in national (and international) South Africa government policy. Many inside the ANC did not agree. Didn’t matter.
The lack of understanding amongst the majority party supporters of how a true democracy functions is truly astounding .
We just getting excited over anything, don’t we?
Mbeki was accused of acting as if he had not been “deployed” to that leadership position (Presidency) by the ANC which – according to our electoral processes & system – had won the election. In the end he got fired for having been seen to have left the party behind. Now you want Zuma to make the same mistake? No post-apartheid president has ever been directly elected by the South African electorate. It’s a honey-pot approach: each party uses its leader to attract the votes (Mandela; Mbeki before he reached his sell-by-date; now Zuma and the others for other parties). But we still vote for the party, not the individual. Sure, the President must, in the end, serve all South Africans but, until the electoral system changes, it’s silly to expect Zuma to pretend as if he was voted for directly by all of us. He wasn’t. Get real!
Well, people that are against centralism are people that are blinded by the likes of Zille. In real terms, they have nothing to say, He is inclusive, makes everyone feel like part of it including position, we all belong to one organization, one world, one nation
Why separate party from state if a party is governing????
One reason why you separate party from state is to prevent the “Tyranny of the majority”. Democracy is not just about who wins the election. Even those who intelligently voted against the ANC are citizens of the state, and the government is supposed to govern for all citizens, not just those who voted for the majority party.
As for Zuma’s 100 days, I don’t see that he has done anything much, one way or the other. He selected a gigantic cabinet on the basis that he’d rather have everyone “inside the tent pissing out, than having someone outside the tent pissing in”. Then he’s gone on a series of jaunts and parties, trying to please all and sundry by telling everyone what they want to hear. I do know that he is a little short of his promised 500 000 “job opportunities in 6 months. No doubt a few party organisers (Of the jolling variety as opposed to the political variety) are happy with their “job opportunities”, but there appears to be little progress other than that.
Shareef Blankenberg must be living beneath the waves in the “Lost city of Atlantis” if he thinks that South Africa is going to be a “superpower one day”.
“…likes few things better than sitting somewhere with a cigarette and a cup of coffee (or a Coke, or passion fruit and lemonade), just observing other people going about their business”.
Now there’s your typical ANC worker for you. I’d also be passionate about my work if that’s what it entailed. Maybe a little more “Protestant work ethic” would not go amiss in the offices of the ANC caucus.
Also perhaps a little time on Politics 101 to understand democracy and the pros and cons of varying voting systems could help too.
“Cigarette smoking is harmful to your health”. Even Manto (God bless her little liver) knew that much.
Why separate party from state if a party is governing????
Simple: because a fundamental part of democracy is the ability of the people to choose their government. Ideally of course we’d change our leaders just whenever we tired of them but in the interest of certainty and a peaceful transition, we do it by means of scheduled elections.
The party is at all times a chosen group who are representatives of the people – and if at any time that party loses touch with what the citizens want, they have a right to remove them in a democratic manner come election time. Why? Because they no longer represent.
If we mesh party and state at any stage, the party cannot ever be removed, no matter how far they stray from the legitimate will of the people, as they have effectively become leaders by default and entitled to use state resources and machinery to consolidate their leadership position. This position is then an ‘entitlement’ or quasi-monarchy rather than the democratic dispensation it was meant to be.
As for Helen? Well, we tire of Helen. As she is not the leader of the opposition, I fail to see why she gets all the airtime except in the Western Cape. On matters concerning this province, I like to hear her voice. After all, she represents the people here. On matters of more national importance, I’d prefer to hear a few more voices as well…
I couldn’t agree with you more. You captured every truth that those who are blinded by partisan politics cannot admit. It is blatant hipocricy and day light robbery to argue that you understand our party electoral system and at the same time accuse the ANC that has won the majority of the votes for governing. All you antiZuma and antiANC people, wake up and smell the caffeine material. Haven’t you realized yet that the more you display your unguided and partisan hatred against the ANC, the more the ANC grows bigger and bigger? Continue to parade your distortions and lies about the ANC government in forums of this nature and you’ll find us ready to defend the NDR. Believe me, your views are for the minority and do not hold water. United we stand, divided we fall. Viva Jacob Zuma viva! Long live the leadership of the ANC long live! Jealous down, so far Jacob Zuma is doing well under these tough economic times. This is the president we have been waiting for, for so long. He is not arrogant and listens even to his chief enemies. Make no mistake, Jacob Zuma understands collective leadership and he is and will never be manipulated. Those who think that Jacob Zuma is a puppet do not understand ANC policies and politics. Whether prophets of doom and gloom like it or not, with the ANC government the people shall govern and ANC leads. Amandla!!!
@ Jeff.
Firstly, what do you know about me, other than what you read in my profile? Ever heard of weekends and vacation time? Thats when I observe people. Secondly, I am very responsible about my smoking, doing it away from others, or in designated smoking areas.
If you have something to say, let it be on the artice. I do respect your opinion, even if it is idiotic and mediocre, but have you seen me attacking your person?
Moodiela,
You named the mayor obstacle in the way of SA ever becoming a true democracy or ever reaching its true economic potential nl.the NDR. The millstone around our future as a succesfull country .The true reason why ANC supporters can not grasp modern economic principles and models The potion used to keep the masses caught in poverty .The key to our ever accelerating sink into the black hole of mediocrity.The reason why progress is waving us all goodbye.
@Shareef,
Touched a nerve there did I?
You should calm your Islamic tendency to over-react to criticism, it’s not an endearing trait of your religion.
Was I mediocre to point out that your article failed to understand the reasons why democracies insist on a separation of state and ruling party?
Was I idiotic that you failed to understand that there are problems with PR systems of voting (as indeed there are with first-past-the-post systems)? As a “political secretary” for the ANC surely you should know this?
As for my “personal attack” on you, a mere jibe old chap. Smoking anywhere, at any time and under any circumstances is idiotic.
Maybe Julius Malema was right, perhaps there are too many minorities hanging out in the ANC in the parliamentary buildings.
@Moodiela,
Threatening violence now are you in defence of the NDR? It achieved nothing for the ANC in all their years of opposing apartheid. Once described as “Africa’s oldest and least effective liberation movement”.
As SP van Niekerk has pointed out your NDR has been left behind by the march of history.
I think you got it wrong. Mandela still speaks in the second and third party. The use of We and Us speak is more likened to Kings and rulers.
How often do we hear Obama say we or us. As leader he assumes the mantel of final say. Why can that not apply hear?
What does Zuma say when things go wrong. Soory my buddies at Lavatory house said that, not me. Are we as nation going to accept that sort of leader?
Dear Shareef
Jeff’s attacks on your religion and personal habits are in appalling taste and on behalf of all bloggers I apologise for your having to endure them. Back to the subject – I think you may have missed the fundamental problem that the ruling party’s political approach is to put the party above the state, and the state above the people. It’s an inherited trait from its revolutionary history which frankly is not common to the other parties in SA. The problem is not so much that it results in a dictatorship – which pre 1989 it may have done – but rather that Mr Zuma could be a much better leader – an SA Obama – if he were not hobbled by the party’s insistence on doing what’s right for the party rather than what’s right for the country. The closing of ranks in cases of blatant corruption is the best example of this. There are others.
@Mark Robertson,
Blankenberg was the one who attacked me personally after I made a small remark about his smoking habits. In fact most remarks I directed at Blankenberg were aimed at the content of his article.
In his article he is quite offensive in his tone, basically suggesting that Zille and her supporters are stupid not to agree with his analysis of democracy.
Personally I couldn’t care less about his offensiveness, what I object to is his lack of understanding of different views on democracy and voting systems and their pros and cons.
I’m surprise he hasn’t called me a racist, it’s the stock response to criticism from the ANC, and muslims (though what Islam has to do with racism is anyone’s guess).
Jeff and Van Niekerk, keep on living in dream land. Your unguided jealousy and hatred of the ANC will never do you or any South African any good. The sooner you regain your soberity and consciousness, the better. Keep on hallucinating. The ANC leads and the people govern. Amandla! Aluta continua.
Moodiela,
Thank you, you have just proved my point.
@Shareef,
I don’t hate the ANC. Communism, the Catholic Church and Islam I hate. Never made any bones about it. Fascists all three.
The ANC are too ineffective to hate. They are even more ineffective as a govt. than they were as a liberation movement. I actually hoped they would do a lot more for the poor of SA. Silly me!