The Zuma Debacle

Another year, another state of the nation address. The man of the hour, President Jacob Zuma, addressed the members of Parliament last night in the midst of his current baby daddy scandals. And the welcome was far from warm. Opposition leaders are calling his speech shallow and lacking in vision and I can't help but agree.

There was a precious lack of detail, assertions and commitments were spewed and by the end of the evening no one knew exactly how these plans are going to be executed.The questions are being asked and the answers are vague to say the least. This is a concern for everyone, including the ordinary working class South African. Some are even going as far as to say that it was the worst state of the nation address to be heard. Harsh words that no doubt will be challenged, as we know how politicians love the mud slinging game.

As hollow as this speech was, some of the South African population were hoping to hear what the big man himself had to say about his current scandalous situation. They were to be sorely disappointed, mum was the word with Mr President. The Closest he came to the issue was when he wished 2010 Fifa World Cup local organizing committee chairperson Irvin Khoza all the best for the upcoming months. This caused some mirth among opposition ranks, as laughter spread through the chamber. A stoney-faced Zuma continued his address. Khoza's daughter, Sonono, is the mother of the four-month old child in question.

Democratic Alliance leader Helen Zille, was also peeved about Zuma's failure to provide details of the comprehensive review of the criminal justice system, announced some considerable time ago. Zuma also played it safe by not referring at all to the issue of nationalization, a hot topic and source of some mudslinging by the ANC Youth League at senior ANC and SA Communist Party leaders, even Cabinet ministers.

One things for sure, this year is going to be interesting as skeletons come out of the closest and the government scrambles to make good on their promises. Watch this space.....

From Red Carpet to Red Handed

So I had a little browse through the news this morning. Because Jacob Zuma will officially open Parliament today as the country's 4th democratically elected president there is naturally a fair amount of pomp and ceremony. The opening line of one of the stories about Zuma said something about a red carpet being taped down since the early hours of this morning. It got me thinking about the little traditions and sometimes absurdities that still exist in the world today. With access to anyone, at anytime, with the massive overload of information and the fact that at any given time, you can go anywhere, people still get excited about a red carpet. Its just a carpet and its red. The only thing that actually makes it special is the fame, fortune and honour that associated with it. Its perhaps one of the oldest and last remaining route markers known to man. The first record of the use of a red carpet was in 458BC, so it goes to show that some things don't change...even in the technology age.

And speaking of which, on that same news source I saw another story that made me think about the absurdity of seating technology and tradition at the same table. Two men were arrested in Moscow after "staging an audacious robbery" in an upmarket suburb, near the presidential palace in fact. Why audacious? Well, that's risky business anyone will agree but what inspired confidence in the burglars was the fact that they had already studied satellite images of the area thoroughly. Google Earth has opened up a whole new world for criminals. Gone are the days of flash lights and soft sole shoes, now its satellite tracking and night vision goggles (true).

So there you have it! The little absurdities that result from the marriage of technology and technicalities on red carpets and in purple robes.