Opinion / Columnist
Debunking loudmouth Lindiwe the 'stupid & idiotic' SA woman
22 Jul 2013 at 04:24hrs | Views
LINDIWE Zulu, international relations advisor to South African president Jacob Zuma, is an interesting character.
Quite strangely so.
First, she has too loud a mouth for decent African diplomacy (and a mother of four), which has earned her censure from President Mugabe for behaving like a street woman, and, secondly, she often acts in such a pointed manner wherever she is - and this does not relate to Zimbabwe alone.
Yet, there are several contexts within which one could understand Lindiwe Zulu.
Take her career background, for example.
Lindiwe likes talking.
Apart from the posting as South Africa's ambassador to Brazil, she has been involved in communication and information for much of her career, having been head of communication for ANC women's organisation in Angola, and Uganda, and made spokesperson for the ANC information department for the democratic elections in 1994.
She was also at one point, a member of the Gauteng legislature where she was Deputy Speaker.
Of the scant information available about her education, she is said to be a holder of a Master's Degree in Journalism from Moscow Friendly University (former Patrice Lumumba University), although one could bet their bottom dollar that they have not seen much, if any, of her works in the field.
Yet she likes sound bites - there could be little doubt about it - and her role in Zimbabwe has just shown that she is one person that seeks attention, and feels a hell lot good and important about it.
She must be enjoying herself these days - and, too bad, she will get even shriller in the coming days leading to, during and after the elections.
Consider this: on the internet her name has become synonymous with Zimbabwe, which she must be loving, much in the manner street women love drawing attention to themselves.
And it does not take much to note who she will be parading herself to, and what trinkets and pieces of silver she might get in return, if she hasn't already.
Beyond Zimbabwe, there is precious little mention of her other diplomatic activities as president Zuma's international relations advisor nor has she been regarded as the ultimate authority in the field.
The European Union and the United States of America have long stated that South Africa is their key point on Zimbabwe and make this public when the slightest opportunity presents itself either in South Africa or their countries.
Little doubt Lindiwe is out to impress these countries by going the extra furlong in turning herself into an extension and spokesperson of the MDC formations.
She often, too, tends to assume that Zimbabwe is a province of South Africa and in her foolish sense of grandeur she seems to assume Lindiwe Zulu is the godmother of Zimbabwe's politics and politicians, the revolutionary President Mugabe included.
That often happens when one divests of shame and dignity, as women of easy virtue often do even with the elderly.
Thus she has described President Mugabe and his party as "day-dreaming" when they called for the holding of elections as demanded by both logic and law; and had the temerity to think that she could overturn the decisions of the highest courts of law in Zimbabwe.
Her megaphone diplomacy dovetails neatly with the attention-seeking designs and inclination of the MDC formations not only for the consumption of their mutual superiors in the West but also as a means to put psychological pressure on President Mugabe and Zanu-PF.
Related to this, could Zulu be at the same time a victim of the misinformation from the media she consumes in gleaning information from Zimbabwe?
Diplomats do read newspapers and editorials, among other opinion makers, and this bears on their own judgments.
It is common knowledge that "global" media, controlled as it is by white oligarchs, is so biased against President Mugabe and his party and this has left an almost permanent mark on the psyche of, among others, South Africans.
And the poor misinformed South African, as this writer has come to experience in close to a year, may tend to believe that Zimbabwe is the worst place on earth, from being a place where the is no "WhatsApp" (as I was asked once); where women do not do manicure and pedicure (as one lady feared she could not do once she went to Zimbabwe with her boyfriend); to a place where people are at the mercy of a dictator like Idi Amin.
The naivety and prejudices can just be sickening.
Just as it is sickening for somebody to think that every Zimbabwean in South Africa either fled Mugabe or famine or that it is most fashionable to support Morgan "Tshangiraay".
On the other hand, when President Zuma replaced Cde Thabo Mbeki as facilitator he no doubt wanted a departure from the "quiet" diplomacy of his predecessor - and appointed a back room facilitation team led by loud mouth Lindiwe.
So a cool head like Mac Maharaj, who is actually the spokesperson for the South African Presidency, could not do.
Quite strangely so.
First, she has too loud a mouth for decent African diplomacy (and a mother of four), which has earned her censure from President Mugabe for behaving like a street woman, and, secondly, she often acts in such a pointed manner wherever she is - and this does not relate to Zimbabwe alone.
Yet, there are several contexts within which one could understand Lindiwe Zulu.
Take her career background, for example.
Lindiwe likes talking.
Apart from the posting as South Africa's ambassador to Brazil, she has been involved in communication and information for much of her career, having been head of communication for ANC women's organisation in Angola, and Uganda, and made spokesperson for the ANC information department for the democratic elections in 1994.
She was also at one point, a member of the Gauteng legislature where she was Deputy Speaker.
Of the scant information available about her education, she is said to be a holder of a Master's Degree in Journalism from Moscow Friendly University (former Patrice Lumumba University), although one could bet their bottom dollar that they have not seen much, if any, of her works in the field.
Yet she likes sound bites - there could be little doubt about it - and her role in Zimbabwe has just shown that she is one person that seeks attention, and feels a hell lot good and important about it.
She must be enjoying herself these days - and, too bad, she will get even shriller in the coming days leading to, during and after the elections.
Consider this: on the internet her name has become synonymous with Zimbabwe, which she must be loving, much in the manner street women love drawing attention to themselves.
And it does not take much to note who she will be parading herself to, and what trinkets and pieces of silver she might get in return, if she hasn't already.
Beyond Zimbabwe, there is precious little mention of her other diplomatic activities as president Zuma's international relations advisor nor has she been regarded as the ultimate authority in the field.
The European Union and the United States of America have long stated that South Africa is their key point on Zimbabwe and make this public when the slightest opportunity presents itself either in South Africa or their countries.
Little doubt Lindiwe is out to impress these countries by going the extra furlong in turning herself into an extension and spokesperson of the MDC formations.
She often, too, tends to assume that Zimbabwe is a province of South Africa and in her foolish sense of grandeur she seems to assume Lindiwe Zulu is the godmother of Zimbabwe's politics and politicians, the revolutionary President Mugabe included.
That often happens when one divests of shame and dignity, as women of easy virtue often do even with the elderly.
Thus she has described President Mugabe and his party as "day-dreaming" when they called for the holding of elections as demanded by both logic and law; and had the temerity to think that she could overturn the decisions of the highest courts of law in Zimbabwe.
Her megaphone diplomacy dovetails neatly with the attention-seeking designs and inclination of the MDC formations not only for the consumption of their mutual superiors in the West but also as a means to put psychological pressure on President Mugabe and Zanu-PF.
Related to this, could Zulu be at the same time a victim of the misinformation from the media she consumes in gleaning information from Zimbabwe?
Diplomats do read newspapers and editorials, among other opinion makers, and this bears on their own judgments.
It is common knowledge that "global" media, controlled as it is by white oligarchs, is so biased against President Mugabe and his party and this has left an almost permanent mark on the psyche of, among others, South Africans.
And the poor misinformed South African, as this writer has come to experience in close to a year, may tend to believe that Zimbabwe is the worst place on earth, from being a place where the is no "WhatsApp" (as I was asked once); where women do not do manicure and pedicure (as one lady feared she could not do once she went to Zimbabwe with her boyfriend); to a place where people are at the mercy of a dictator like Idi Amin.
The naivety and prejudices can just be sickening.
Just as it is sickening for somebody to think that every Zimbabwean in South Africa either fled Mugabe or famine or that it is most fashionable to support Morgan "Tshangiraay".
On the other hand, when President Zuma replaced Cde Thabo Mbeki as facilitator he no doubt wanted a departure from the "quiet" diplomacy of his predecessor - and appointed a back room facilitation team led by loud mouth Lindiwe.
So a cool head like Mac Maharaj, who is actually the spokesperson for the South African Presidency, could not do.
Source - herald
All articles and letters published on Bulawayo24 have been independently written by members of Bulawayo24's community. The views of users published on Bulawayo24 are therefore their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Bulawayo24. Bulawayo24 editors also reserve the right to edit or delete any and all comments received.
