Opinion

A Goodluck lesson for our Jacob

20 August 2017 - 00:00 By S’thembiso Msomi

President Jacob Zuma never really hit it off with his erstwhile Nigerian counterpart, Goodluck Jonathan. Relations between the two African "superpowers" were at their lowest during Jonathan's tenure as president.
The two countries bickered over everything from South Africa's bid to have Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma elected chairwoman of the AU Commission to the deportation of Nigerian nationals who landed at OR Tambo International Airport without yellow-fever certificates.
So it is highly unlikely that Zuma would pick up a phone and call the former Nigerian head of state to share notes.
But maybe it would not be a bad idea for our president to ring Bell Pottinger - the London PR firm that was good buddies with Jonathan as well as with Zuma's favourite family, the Guptas.
The South African president, through his office, has previously denied claims in a document by an anonymous former Bell Pottinger staffer that he once met the PR firm and asked it for help in cleaning up the image of his most favoured son - Duduzane.But perhaps a chat with the firm is long overdue for him. No, I do not expect the president to chastise Bell Pottinger for its racially divisive PR campaign whose intention was to deflect public attention from the looting of public institutions by his friends.
When has this president ever stood up for his nation; its dignity and sovereignty?
He is all sound and fury when appearing on ANC platforms demanding that the ANC MPs who voted against him during the motion of no confidence be acted upon by the party, but would publicly utter no word in condemnation of the disgraceful actions of a Zimbabwean first lady who physically assaulted a young local woman whose only "crime" was, reportedly, to hang out with her sons.
Zuma has kept quiet even as Grace Mugabe made fools of our law-enforcement agencies and their hapless political head by making them announce that she'd be handing herself over to the police when, in fact, she had no intention of doing so. She must have had a good laugh when she saw the minister on the news announcing her imminent court appearance that was never going to be.
But I digress. Zuma needs Bell Pottinger to help him and his inner circle appreciate some of the lessons the firm learnt in its unsuccessful attempt to help Jonathan and his People's Democratic Party retain power in 2015.
Like the ANC, here since 1994, the PDP had been the dominant political force in Nigeria since the transition to multiparty democracy in 1999.
But allegations of rampant corruption began to eat into the party's popularity. Matters worsened under the Jonathan presidency as he was largely seen as soft on corruption, lacking a clear strategy to fight off the Boko Haram threat, and unresponsive to the population's concerns.Jonathan and his supporters, however, showed little concern. The opposition, they believed, was too weak and divided to pose a real threat to the PDP. Even as four major parties came together to form the All Progressives Congress, Jonathan thought they wouldn't hurt him as the new formation came out of parties the PDP had defeated in the past.
It is the same attitude adopted by Zuma and his inner circle in South Africa today as the 2019 election approaches. Jonathan acted like the PDP would rule, as they say down here in South Africa, "until Jesus comes".
But by mid-2014 he had realised his popularity, and that of his party, was waning. Nigerians were unhappy with the lack of urgency when it came to finding the schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram.
Instead of confronting the problem, Jonathan thought he could claw back support by spending $1.2-million (about R15-million) on foreign PR firms, including Bell Pottinger. The PR agencies, however, couldn't save him. By January 2015, Bell Pottinger was so sure Jonathan was going to lose the presidential race that the firm is said to have convinced him to buy himself more time by postponing the polls by five weeks.
That didn't work either. By April of that year, Jonathan was on his way out of Aso Rock - Nigeria's state house. His replacement was to be Muhammadu Buhari, a former military ruler who had done so badly in previous elections that very few political pundits considered him a serious challenger.
The All Progressives Congress ran an effective election campaign, but it is no exaggeration to say much of its success in the 2015 election was due to Jonathan's own goals. As the number of his critics grew, even within the PDP, Jonathan started purging and alienating opponents. Many, including prominent regional leaders and parliamentary representatives, soon found a new home in the APC.
Even the PDP founder, former Nigerian president and one-time Jonathan political mentor Olusegun Obasanjo, was kicked out of the party and ended up backing Buhari.
Now, while we may not be headed for a situation where former Transkei ruler Bantu Holomisa ends up being our head of state, much of what has been happening here suggests Zuma is leading the ANC down the same path that led to the PDP's downfall...

There’s never been a more important time to support independent media.

From World War 1 to present-day cosmopolitan South Africa and beyond, the Sunday Times has been a pillar in covering the stories that matter to you.

For just R80 you can become a premium member (digital access) and support a publication that has played an important political and social role in South Africa for over a century of Sundays. You can cancel anytime.

Already subscribed? Sign in below.



Questions or problems? Email helpdesk@timeslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00.