JZ moves to reassure a restless nation

Source: Olebogeng Molatlhwa – Times Live, 12/08/2015

Jacob Zuma is fighting back and wants to reassure South Africans that
he is in charge.


Though conceding during an "unusual" media briefing yesterday that
"South Africa is in a crisis", Zuma pilloried suggestions that the
country was teetering on the brink of collapse.


"I wouldn't say that in South Africa there is doom and gloom . South
Africa is not about to fall. It is actually strengthening," he said.
Yesterday's unprecedented briefing on key issues raised in his State
of the Nation speech came amid renewed scepticism about his
leadership.


Analysts were critical of the briefing, saying it came across as an
"attempt to justify rather than inform".


The briefing followed a torrid question-and-answer session in
parliament last week during which he was accused of being ignorant.



Zuma told MPs he was not aware that Mineral Resources Minister Ngoako
Ramatlhodi had suspended the licence of Optimum Coal Mine, a
subsidiary of Glencore, because the company had allegedly failed to
adhere to social labour plans and retrenchment processes.


In a face-saving exercise, Zuma yesterday belatedly announced the
matter "has been resolved".


With employment still under pressure, Zuma was at pains to show that
his administration had the ability to create jobs. But he suggested he
would have presented much more impressive jobs figures were it not for
South Africa's "huge majority of unskilled labour force".


"Government support has taken the automotive sector from the
production of 356800 units in the year 2000 to over 566000 units in
2014," said Zuma.


"This support has grown auto exports from 11000 units in 1995 to over
270000 units in 2014. As a result, 300000 jobs have been created in
the automotive sector.''


Despite his best efforts, Zuma could not hide the fact that things
were not going according to the National Development Plan.
Economic growth is lagging far behind the NDP's target. The five
million jobs target has been shifted from 2020 to 2030.


Zuma blamed the country's tepid economic growth on apartheid ,
describing it as "colonialism of a special type".


"Other countries in Africa never had a racially based economy," he
said. "We are trying to address the legacy of apartheid, and it's
going to be with us a long time."


Economist Mike Schussler expressed scepticism over Zuma's prediction
of a 3% growth rate.


"It is unlikely as power is but one constraint, as are lower commodity
prices, the lack of tourists and slowly increasing interest rates. The
world economy and China's [are] slowing, which will impact on us,"
said Schussler.


Political analyst Prof Steven Friedman said that after winning
consecutive elections convincingly for 20 years, the government was
coming to grips with a very real "trust deficit" between itself and a
section of the electorate.


"[The media briefing] is not usual and it does show an understanding
that the government knows there exists a problem of trust with a
section of the electorate. I think they got the message that 'if you
want people to trust you, you have to talk to them'. Previously, they
tended to take voters for granted," he said.


Asked whether the briefing had managed to bring the government closer
to the people, he said: "It does to a certain extent. I think there is
a genuine shift in attitude but one must admit that, based on what has
happened recently, [this] exercise does come across as an attempt to
justify rather than inform."


Another political analyst, Dr Somadoda Fikeni, said Zuma's impromptu
briefing did little to reassure the nation.


"Following last week's appearance in parliament, the president
rightfully felt under siege and he would have wanted to show that he
is firmly in charge.


"But when you have a president who goes out of his way to insist that
all is well when there are numerous challenges at different levels of
society, then you begin to realise that [the briefing] could only have
the opposing effect," said Fikeni.