Throughout the continent of Africa, there are stories and reports of leaders who are not living up to their positions. Just this month, Liberia’s education ministry announced proposals to privatize their primary education in the country (still recovering from Ebola), In Libya, over 60% of the officials in the administration are reportedly taking bribes, and Robert Mugabe is still President of Zimbabwe given his track record… since 1987. Sadly, more times that not, the decisions these leaders make ultimately hurt the people they are meant to serve and add to the long list of factors trying to hold Africa back politically and economically.
Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma has been South Africa’s President since 2009 and it seems Zuma has not had a good track record from the inception of his presidency. The outcry for him to step down from his position has been years in the making but recently, after a Constitutional Court decision on one of his selfish acts, people are aggressively speaking out for him to be removed from power…now. Zuma’s acts are reflective of several corrupted leaders on the continent. Here are four main things you should know in regards to the recent news surrounding Zuma:
1. He used taxpayer funds to remodel and upkeep his estate in Nkandla.
Zuma illegally used funds coming from taxpayers to make luxury upgrades to his home. The Constitutional Court in South Africa found that his actions were indeed unconstitutional and they ruled that he would have to pay back the money he used. On the surface, it seems like a ruling like this would make the most powerful man in the country come clean and do right, but instead Zuma was able to find support from a lawmaker who claimed he was given “bad legal advice.”
2. Activists are working hard to have his power overturned
Many citizens have spoken out about Zuma and said enough is enough. One group in particular who has named themselves “Africa’s Future” wrote an open letter to the president and claimed that he has lost all moral authority to lead the people. The letter was comprised by thirteen activists who hope their words serve as a public record of how tired the people are of having to be controlled by a leader who is no longer living up to the standards expected of him. Also, during his court visit, there were people outside the courthouse calling for Zuma’s removal from his presidential position. The main group leading this cause is the Democratic Alliance, an opposition group looking to take help end Zuma’s reign. They submitted an impeachment motion, which lead to an impeachment debate, but the motion failed due to the number of people who voted against it.
3. Other members of his family seem to be just as problematic
President Zuma’s son and nephew seem to be following in his footsteps in terms of being involved in questionable political situations. Duduzane Zuma, President Zuma’s son, worked for a mining firm owned by the Gupta family and announced on Friday that he would be walking away from the company. The reason behind the leave, and Duduzane selling his investments, is allegedly due to the Gupta family being involved with an inequity of power and wrongfully using their influence over political decisions. The Gupta’s and Duduzane deny this claim but the Gupta’s believe all of the sudden attention and discomfort from their holding company, Oakbay Investments, is stemming from them being used to get President Zuma out of power.
In regards to President Zuma’s nephew, Khulubuse Zuma, he is recently on the chopping block for being involved with the Panama Papers scandal. Khulubuse allegedly acted as a representative of the Caprikat Limited, an offshore company that was a main destination for the Panama Papers. Vuyo Mkhize, Khulubuse’s spokesperson, said he has never been involved in any offshore activity or owned an offshore bank account, but it is seen in public record that he has been involved in some capacity with Caprikat.
4. If he remains in power, civilian resistance may get out of hand
Many citizens and groups are still calling for Zuma’s resignation after the impeachment fail. They have claimed they will use street protests and other means to spread their message. This could potentially lead to a lot of unrest between the people and the government/police authorities.
There is a lot to digest when it comes to Zuma, but what is even more disturbing is knowing there are other leaders like him who are still running African countries. It leaves us to wonder, will African leaders learn to do right by their citizens? We’ve always known that Africa, as a continent, has the potential to be an economic powerhouse, but with government figures stifling their country’s growth through economics, and even education as we’ve seen recently, will Africa ever be able to overcome this narrative of corruption?
