Booing the president

When citizens get frustrated with their governments they vent their frustration in public and booing is a quick, easy option.

" Those people are hooligans and cowards of no description," is what Sport Minister Fikile Mbalula labels them.

This is after another dose of booing President Jacob Zuma faced at FNB Stadium, after the Bafana Bafana international friendly against Brazil, while handing out medals to the players.

The first time this happened at the same stadium was during Nelson Mandela memorial service. The booing was suspected to have been ignited by the public protector’s Nkandla Report leak to the media.

It was reported by the Sunday Times that extraordinary security measures were put in place as the ANC pulled out all the stops to avert another booing incident for the President, in the public, by the public.

Our Gedleyihlekisa isn’t the only head of state to face such hostile reception.

France
In 2013, French president Francois Hollande was booed by French citizens as he laid flowers at the tomb of the Unknown Soldier during a ceremony marking the end of the First World War. The booing was said to be driven by their dissatisfaction over high unemployment and tax hikes. Arrests of 70 people were made at the venue. Among people who were booing, was campaign group, Bonnets Rouge (Red Caps)

Hollande’s predecessor, Nicolas Sarkozy also faced boos while addressing a large Muslim gathering in France. He was reported in the Boston Review to have said that, Muslims must obey the law as everyone else when taking Identity pictures; this means they should take pictures without their heads covered. Instantly, hundreds rose from their seats to boo and hiss.

Ukraine
The Ukraine’s Viktor Yanukovich had it worse. He had his home invaded by disgruntled citizens who dramatically ousted him from power after one of the worst periods of violence in the country's history.