South Africa tells Zuma to resign, pay back the money and legalise dagga

04 February 2015 - 17:12 By Sapa
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President Jacob Zuma
President Jacob Zuma
Image: REUTERS

If South Africans are not asking President Jacob Zuma to resign they are calling for dagga to be legalised.

These requests made up the majority of the recommendations made to Zuma on social networking sites following an invitation by the presidency for people to send suggestions for the president's state-of-the-nation address.

A thread of people on Twitter repeated: "@PresidencyZA: Why not legalise cannabis to increase revenue & save tax Rands by freeing up crowded prisons & courts? #DaggaDebate #SONA2015."

"Free marijuana," others wrote.

Inkatha Freedom Party MP Mario Oriani-Ambrosini, who died last year of cancer, had lobbied for the use of alternative cancer therapies, including medical marijuana.

Calls for Zuma to resign were also high on Twitter users' request lists.

User @CJSteyl wrote: "Before I go to bed I'd just like to remind the good folk at @PresidencyZA to include Jacob Zuma's resignation in his #SONA2015. Thanks."

Another user @mzukisij wrote: "Zuma must resign before the motion and #SONA2015 maybe sober people of this country will forgive him."

@Matheb_Ohms wrote: "@PresidencyZA on your #SONA2015 please address us about when you will #PayBackTheMoney and about when you will resign as President. #MyInput."

On the presidency's official Facebook page, 1277 people posted their suggestions.

The majority of people were asking Zuma to resign and pay back the money spent on non-security upgrades to his private home in Nkandla, KwaZulu-Natal.

Comrade Kamogelo Ramoloto on Facebook wrote: "Mr President tell us whether you going to pay cash, EFT or through shoprite money market... am talking about Nkandla money and what would my best Valentine's present before my girlfriend gives me would be your resignation letter."

Ditshepiso Promise Mapaila wrote: "I ask For Him To Become A Born Again Christian and To Ask God for forgiveness and the nation and then He can explain where the Money Went and How hes Going to Pay it Back and then He May Resign."

Some citizens decided to write their own little script for Zuma.

Craig Edmund Fitz Eustace said he would like to hear Zuma say: "I am so ashamed of what I have done, said and not done as your leader, that I wish to fall on my sword like any real loser of a leader would do. I am sorry."

Motlatsi Mfanakithi requested he say: "I hereby tender my resignation and I ask for South Africans to forgive me for my actions, and propose e-tolls to be scrapped, tighten security of all South Africans and lastly any Mzansi citizen that wishes to serve their country to be admitted into army without any red tape... Furthermore, I thank you all for making me aware my leadership has divided this wonderful country."

However, not everyone wants to see Zuma go.

Tsiane Dithebe asked South Africans to have respect for the president.

"Please please please... let us respect the President of the Republic of South Africa. I don't want to comment on what he must say. Just want to request fellow South Africans to respect the old man," he wrote on the presidency's website.

On Twitter @Rethabilem said "President Jacob Zuma must use the state of the nation address to win the hearts & soul of South Africans #SoNA2015."

Others asked that issues such as unemployment, housing and corruption be addressed.

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