How A Country Goes Down While Everyone Stands By and Watches ...

"Jacob Zuma is your next president - and get over it," says leading political analyst Dr Xolela Mangcu. Speaking at a Bureau for Economic Research conference entitled Key challenges facing the South African economy, Mangcu said Zuma was a strong candidate for next month's ANC's leadership election conference, even though many outsiders doubted his candidacy.

"This is Zuma's election to lose," said Mangcu, to the disbelief of several hundred delegates.

I used to just shake my head and laugh at the antics of politicians in this country - I'm NOT a political animal by any stretch of imagination. But now I am reduced to tears. Tears of rage and disbelief and deep helplessness.

How can there be any hope for a country when a leading political analyst tells us that we're going to have to accept this man as our future president and that all we can do is to 'get over it already'?? A man who was previously sacked as deputy president of the ANC, who has been charged with corruption (his former financial advisor and lifelong friend is now in prison following convictions for fraud and corruption), charged with rape (acquitted but the whole thing was very dodgy AND revealed that he thought he could avoid AIDS by showering well after sex).

The sad and scary thing is that he has the support of the people who think that his behaviour is just fine! He is currently front runner in a race in which the only other serious contender for the position of leader of the ANC, and therefore future president of SA, is the current president (who, if he won, would be having THIRD term in office).

I'm so angry and so frustrated. This whole country is rife with fraud and corruption - this morning's news was about new evidence re the Land Bank scandal, where employees have stolen over a billion rands worth of funds. Today, no less than FIVE board members have been arrested in this regard! The leader of the Scorpions (the leading crime-fighting division in SA) is on trial for irregularities. The police chief is being investigated for who knows what.

It's a total fucking mess. GREEN CARD, where are you???