Opinion / Columnist
A wave of political change blowing over SADC region
13 Jul 2021 at 21:56hrs | Views
The recent events characterizing developments happening in the Sadc region are pointers to a very big change in the political arena of region.
The current wave of protests and looting in South Africa is going to have a negative impact on the region if not the whole continent. The Durban Port is the strategic port in Africa.
Movement of goods and services in SADC region is going to be disrupted.
The hashtag #FreeZUMA has been hijacked by criminal elements as looting and protests continued unabated.
Lawlessness is not the way forward for any society.
The South African intelligence team could have foreseen that sending the former President to jail was going to spark violence and protests in the country and that could have been avoided by deploying the security personnel in strategic points.
We have seen a spate of violence amd protest in the region and are these African leaders really paying attention to the plight of the suffering majority where they keep on looting whilst their people are living in abject poverty?
It happened in Eswatini and South Africa is moving on the same path which Zimbabwe moved.
The people are very hungry and politicians are feeding off the poor voters, giving them things that are not worth much anymore.
Our political leaders have grabbed all the vast tracts of land and resources whilst the rest are scrounging on the crumbles.
African Presidents must desist from playing tribal cards when solving issues and must rather face head on the challenges and solve them amicably. Poor people have grievances also and need to be heard.
There is also need to look at the underlining historical culture of violence that engulfs South Africa.
I am with the opinion that this has now gone or spilled over constitutional matters that former President Jacob Zuma has been sentenced because of contempt of court.
If one looks closely at the initial developments of this matter, it has degenerated into protests agitated by incarceration of former President Jacob Zuma and probably a factional war between those supporting him and President Cyril Ramaphosa.
If Ramaphosa fails to handle this hot potato the people of South Africa will plunge this beautiful nation into a turmoil. Currently President Ramaphosa as the leader is sitting on a time bomb.
Of course Jacob Zuma committed a crime of contempt of court of which he was just supposed to appear before the court and answer the charges thereafter appeal for the judgement. There are still elements judiciary capture in South Africa where reforms must be implemented to avoid selectively application of the law.
Jacob Zuma supporters are aguing that there is a certain clique of people who pushed for Jacob Zuma's arrest and qimprisonment.
People from KZN where Jacob Zuma come from and have more following are vowing that their man was once the President of South Africa cannot be sacrificed on behalf of other corrupt politicians.
For strong democracy and rule of law to prevail former Presidents in Africa or civil servants must respect the rule of law regardless of their political, ideological, economic status.
A bad precedence of course is being set where former Presidents refuse to be arraigned before a competent court to answer charges of corruption and abuse of funds. It also boils back to the apartheid regime where P. W Botha was not jailed for the atrocities he committed.
Email - konileonard606@gmail.com
Twitter- @Leokoni
+27616868508
The current wave of protests and looting in South Africa is going to have a negative impact on the region if not the whole continent. The Durban Port is the strategic port in Africa.
Movement of goods and services in SADC region is going to be disrupted.
The hashtag #FreeZUMA has been hijacked by criminal elements as looting and protests continued unabated.
Lawlessness is not the way forward for any society.
The South African intelligence team could have foreseen that sending the former President to jail was going to spark violence and protests in the country and that could have been avoided by deploying the security personnel in strategic points.
We have seen a spate of violence amd protest in the region and are these African leaders really paying attention to the plight of the suffering majority where they keep on looting whilst their people are living in abject poverty?
It happened in Eswatini and South Africa is moving on the same path which Zimbabwe moved.
The people are very hungry and politicians are feeding off the poor voters, giving them things that are not worth much anymore.
Our political leaders have grabbed all the vast tracts of land and resources whilst the rest are scrounging on the crumbles.
African Presidents must desist from playing tribal cards when solving issues and must rather face head on the challenges and solve them amicably. Poor people have grievances also and need to be heard.
I am with the opinion that this has now gone or spilled over constitutional matters that former President Jacob Zuma has been sentenced because of contempt of court.
If one looks closely at the initial developments of this matter, it has degenerated into protests agitated by incarceration of former President Jacob Zuma and probably a factional war between those supporting him and President Cyril Ramaphosa.
If Ramaphosa fails to handle this hot potato the people of South Africa will plunge this beautiful nation into a turmoil. Currently President Ramaphosa as the leader is sitting on a time bomb.
Of course Jacob Zuma committed a crime of contempt of court of which he was just supposed to appear before the court and answer the charges thereafter appeal for the judgement. There are still elements judiciary capture in South Africa where reforms must be implemented to avoid selectively application of the law.
Jacob Zuma supporters are aguing that there is a certain clique of people who pushed for Jacob Zuma's arrest and qimprisonment.
People from KZN where Jacob Zuma come from and have more following are vowing that their man was once the President of South Africa cannot be sacrificed on behalf of other corrupt politicians.
For strong democracy and rule of law to prevail former Presidents in Africa or civil servants must respect the rule of law regardless of their political, ideological, economic status.
A bad precedence of course is being set where former Presidents refuse to be arraigned before a competent court to answer charges of corruption and abuse of funds. It also boils back to the apartheid regime where P. W Botha was not jailed for the atrocities he committed.
Email - konileonard606@gmail.com
Twitter- @Leokoni
+27616868508
Source - Leonard Koni
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