Is Jacob Zuma the right man for the job?

With the recent electoral victory by the ANC, South Africa is poised to have its first ever Zulu President, Jacob Zuma. However, although the election was a shining example of democracy in action, will Mr Zuma’s leadership improve the lives of those that cast their vote?

The ANC won a convincing 65.9% of the vote and although this was a lower figure than that achieved by Mr Zuma’s predecessor Thabo Mbeki, it still gives a strong mandate to the ANC to continue in Government. Understandably, there are many South African citizens who would vote for the ANC regardless of whom the leader was and would consider themselves to be one-party people. This is easy to comprehend given the historical significance and achievements of the party. However, when Mr Zuma originally decided to stand for leadership of the ANC, the party itself was split and has been damaged by that division ever since.

Jacob Zuma has an impressive personal history. He was a member of the ANC’s military wing, was imprisoned on the notorious Robben Island and spent 10 years in prison for his part in the anti-apartheid struggle. He, like many others involved in that struggle, also spent a considerable amount of time in exile. However, his rise through the ranks of the ANC’s leadership has been plagued with controversy. In the past few years alone he has faced rape charges (of which he was acquitted) and was sacked as deputy president after being implicated in a corruption scandal. Allegations of corruption have still not abated and probably will not do so during her tenure as president.

On top of this, during the rape trial he attracted condemnation from HIV/AIDS activists and many in the medical world when he claimed that he had taken a shower after having sexual intercourse in order to minimise the risk of contracting HIV. In a country where UNAIDS recently estimated that 5,700,000 people are currently living with HIV and 1,400,000 children under the age of 17 are orphans due to AIDS, it was an extremely dangerous and irresponsible statement to make. Mr Zuma has also often been criticised by Women’s Groups for some of his views and statements towards women.

Despite this, in a country where 23 million are eligible to vote, the Independent Electoral Commission expressed predictions during the election of an 80% turn out. This type of active citizenship is undoubtedly irregular and impressive but for a country that has a Human Development Index rating of outside the top 100 (of 177 countries), the hope is that Jacob Zuma truly is a man of the people rather than just a different man for different people. Hopefully his past service for the ANC rather than his recent controversial existence is what makes up the man that South Africa will soon have as their president.