“…the trouble with having the vote, is that other people have it too.” JR Lucas

JR Lucas is quite an interesting bloke with a rather convincing argument "proving" free will but that's not the point today. I just like the quote I used in the header.

Today I'm with Steven Friedman in his Thoughtleader column.

"This was not mob rule. In the main, it was active, democratic participation, precisely what the ANC’s preoccupation with public displays of unity has denied its conferences for the past 17 years. If the Zuma delegates are now in the majority in the ANC, and this is how they intend to act at future meetings, the ANC may well be in better democratic health than it has been for a very long time."

I don't know if I know enough about Jacob Zuma beyond the Zapiro showerheaded caricatures and his disconcerting middle name "GEDLEYIHLEKISA" (the one who smiles at you while causing harm to you). (per Fred Khumalo).

I do believe that there may be better candidates for a future president of the country - but who, and why haven't they shown their hand?

But - while his historic actions are questionable he is currently saying the right things:

On Zimbabwe:

"It is even more tragic that other world leaders who witness repression pretend it is not happening, or is exaggerated. When history eventually deals with the dictators, those who stood by and watched should also bear the consequences.
“A shameful quality of the modern world is to turn away from injustice and ignore the hardships of others,” he charged.“There is no substitute or alternative to democracy, even in instances where we feel that democratic processes threaten our personal interests."

And on crime:

“In a country with no death penalty, the laws must bite”

I have a vision of Foucault style drawing & quartering. (Read the harrowing preface to Foucault's Discipline & Punish here). And even the lily liberal in me may argue for that.

While friends apply for residency or pack quickly for other climes I think I'm in for the ride. Looking forward to it in fact.

In a comment some 20 months ago I wrote this:

1. We are not a normal democracy,
2. Despite this, our democratic and legal checks and balances are far more robust than Russia's were, and
3. We ain't seen nothing yet!

And to close, Evita Bezuidenhout has inimitably chipped in - likening JZ to Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Happy Holidays.