Of nudity, paintings, politics and paranoia

A particularly virulent strain of paranoia appears to have overtaken the African National Congress (ANC), the political party that currently forms the government of South Africa.  To understand it, a bit of history is in order.

The current President of South Africa, Jacob Zuma, is a long-time ANC activist and current President of that party, and a former member of the Politburo of the South African Communist Party.  He's a very colorful figure with a pugnacious history, including a habit of singing the revolutionary song 'Bring me my machine gun' on frequent occasions in public.  In 2005 he was charged with rape, but was acquitted in a very controversial trial, the court ruling that the sex was consensual.  (His accuser was threatened by hundreds of his supporters outside the court.  After the verdict, she sought and was granted political asylum in Holland.  Draw your own conclusions.)  He also faced charges of corruption in connection with a substantial armaments contract, which were dragged out over several years before being dismissed amid much dispute.  (It's my personal opinion that he was guilty as sin in both cases, but got off thanks to political and other pressure being applied by him and/or on his behalf.)  He's a practicing polygamist who's been married six times.  He has (at present) four wives and at least eighteen children, both in and out of wedlock (the precise number is uncertain, but may be much higher).

Under his Presidency, South Africa has been racked with political scandals.  In particular, corruption has become endemic.  South Africa's anti-corruption Special Investigative Unit has estimated that up to a quarter of the funds allocated for procurement in the national budget (up to the equivalent of about US $4 billion per annum) are being diverted from their proper purposes into the pockets of corrupt politicians and officials.  The Economist reports:

An audit of the Social Security Agency, which doles out some 100 billion rand a year [about US $12 billion] to 15m South Africans, almost a third of the total population, shows its finances to be in chaos and riddled with fraud. A recent study reckons that 7% of social benefits are obtained illegally. More than 15,000 fraudulent beneficiaries have been convicted in the past five years but that is the tip of the iceberg. The agency’s financial director was fired in July.

A remarkably high proportion of officials now seem to be at it. Just within the past few months the head of the state-owned Passenger Rail Agency’s corporate real-estate department has been “placed on special leave” after the discovery of “widespread fraud”. The director of the state language board has been fired for “financial mismanagement”. The financial boss of the state communications regulator has been sent on “gardening leave” after the revelation of “financial irregularities”. The head of the police’s crime intelligence division has been suspended after being accused of using witness-protection funds to pay for salaries, houses and cars for family and girlfriends; investigations are continuing. The mayor of Pretoria, the capital, is under investigation for alleged nepotism, corruption and mismanagement. The SIU says the debt-ridden South African Broadcasting Corporation is “rotten” right to the top. The chief executive of the South African Post Office has been given “leave of absence pending the outcome of hearings” into corruption. And on it goes.

There's more at the link.  New 'security laws' supposedly aimed at combating such corruption are believed by many to be nothing more than an attempt to protect corrupt politicians, including President Zuma.

As a result of all this corruption and other crises affecting the ANC and President Zuma, a campaign has begun to nominate someone else as President of the ANC during the party's conference later this year.  That person would then become President of South Africa after the next parliamentary elections, assuming the ANC wins them again (as is very likely).  It's being referred to as the 'ABZ' (Anyone But Zuma) campaign.  Needless to say, President Zuma isn't taking such opposition lightly, and the whole affair looks like blowing up into a full-scale power struggle of epic proportions.

In the midst of all this fuss and bother, a South African artist, Brett Murray (who happens to be both white, and an ANC supporter) decided to combine President Zuma's Communist leanings and well-known sexual predilections into a painting.  He took a famous image of Lenin and painted President Zuma in a similar pose - but with oversized, naked genitals protruding from his trousers.  The picture, which he titled 'The Spear', isn't one I can post openly in this relatively family-friendly forum, but if you'd like to see it Wikipedia has a good image of it.  I've also put up a smaller version alongside the image of Lenin that inspired it, which you can view here.

The painting has aroused a storm of controversy.  Earlier this week it was vandalized by two visitors to the gallery where it was on display.  Meanwhile, lawyers for President Zuma have initiated legal action against the artist and the gallery, demanding that the painting be removed from public view.  (The President's lawyer actually broke down in tears in the courtroom, giving some indication of how high emotions are running over the matter.)

Personally, I think the painting is a very accurate satirical jab at President Zuma, both in terms of his Communist past and his well-known sexual predilections.  It's in the finest traditions of political satire in the Western world, albeit a bit more graphic and 'in-your-face' than most.  In my view, the brouhaha over the painting reflects the divide in South Africa between those who blindly support a political party and/or ideology, and those who recognize that errors, faults and failings by anybody are fair game for criticism.  It's unlikely to be resolved anytime soon.

On the other hand, it's been a boon to humorists and those of their ilk who can still see the lighter side of South Africa's troubles.  Cartoonist Zapiro has skewered the President twice so far.

(I particularly enjoyed the 'modified' tower over the Union Buildings in the second cartoon!)

My favorite South African cartoon strip, Madam & Eve, sees the painting 'going viral' in political circles.

(The reference to sushi is in connection with a recent political scandal in South Africa.)

As the Guardian points out, all this fuss and bother has 'exposed the ANC's increasingly thin skin'.  I couldn't agree more.  If it helps to further expose, and bring greater pressure to bear upon, the culture of corruption, nepotism, incompetence and patronage that's bringing to its knees the country I once called home, so much the better!  Congratulations and my personal thanks to Mr. Murray for a brilliant piece of political satire.  He's certainly got the whole country talking!

Hmmm . . . I wonder if I could interest Mr. Murray in contributing to our current US election campaign?





Peter