Editorial: Zuma's presidency in harsh spotlight

07 February 2016 - 02:00 By Sunday Times

All eyes will once again be on President Jacob Zuma as he delivers his ninth state of the nation address in parliament on Thursday evening. The scrutiny this year will be not just on what the president says about South Africa's problems and his proposed solutions; it will also be on the state of Zuma's presidency.Going into his seventh year as head of state, Zuma has never been so weak and isolated.Opposition parties are piling the pressure on him, refusing to relent on several legal cases they have brought against him.story_article_left1His attempt to have the Nkandla scandal quietly go away by reaching what he hoped would be an out-of-court settlement with the EFF and DA backfired this week when the parties rejected his offer to pay back some of the public money spent on his private homestead.It is now up to the Constitutional Court to decide on the matter - and a ruling against Zuma would further weaken his presidency.As if his Nkandla woes were not enough, Zuma's trade union movement allies have forced him to make a huge U-turn on pension fund legislation.In December, Zuma signed into law the Tax Administration Amendment Act and the Taxation Laws Amendment Act, despite strong protests from Cosatu and other labour formations.He insisted at the time that his government had consulted widely and that the new law would therefore come into effect on March 1.But in another sign that the president's word is no longer final on most policy issues, Cosatu got the ANC national executive committee to agree with it on the need for the matter to be renegotiated.This week, Zuma announced that he had appointed Minister in the Presidency Jeff Radebe to work with Cosatu and the National Treasury on finding a solution to their differences over the new laws.This means that the implementation date for the laws will be delayed. During the renewed negotiations, Cosatu may score key concessions relating to employees' right to cash in all their pension when they retire.Add to all of this the fact that public protestations and market reaction forced Zuma to withdraw the appointment of David van Rooyen as finance minister, and you have a president who can no longer govern on his own.story_article_right2Perhaps this is what we should expect of any president serving his second term in office. Former president Thabo Mbeki, who had a firm grip on government affairs during his first five years as head of state, struggled to have his way during his second term.The ANC, for instance, forced him in 2006 to launch an investigation into the role and location of the Scorpions within the National Prosecuting Authority. That investigation eventually gave the ANC justification, years later, to close down the corruption-fighting unit.But in Zuma's case, the situation appears to be worse as his numerous mistakes over the years have made even those who were once in his corner question his judgment.His continued relationship with the controversial Gupta family has rubbed important figures at Luthuli House up the wrong way and, as many start to prepare for life beyond the Zuma presidency, he is finding his circle of friends shrinking by the day.The question now is whether a president who is so weakened and isolated can effectively govern the country...

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