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10.05.2009 Feature Article

Lessons from Jacob Zuma’s victory

President Jacob ZumaPresident Jacob Zuma
10.05.2009 LISTEN

By Emmanuel Ajibulu
President Jacob Zuma has re-write the South African political history has he becomes the fourth duly elected President, after many years of apartheid rule in the country. May 9, 2009 is another day that remains significant and memorable to S/A and also the African National Congress (ANC party) being the platform that gave Zuma the success story.

He took the oath of office in front of thousands of invited guests and crowds of supporters who had gathered at the Union Buildings in Pretoria for the ceremony. In his speech, he described as a "moment of renewal" for South Africa, and vowed to work for reconciliation. The amazing thing was that the atmosphere was not dampened by earlier rain and cold.

Mr Zuma, 67, is expected to bring a populist touch, he equally listed his five priorities as land redistribution, education, health, lowering crime levels and finding decent work for all South Africans. He was in a full presidential mode, and protocol will not allow him sing his customary songs. He promised to ensure a very different presidency to that of Thabo Mbeki. He was sounding distinctively at the delivery of his speech even as he vowed to "not rest" in tackling the problems facing the country, and people in their thousands were giving him rapturous cheers – He praised his predecessors and said he would follow the policies of reconciliation between the races that Nelson Mandela had pursued; although he got the loudest cheers when he mentioned hosting the 2010 football World Cup, a hosting right which no African nations have never had the right of hosting since the inception of soccer.

Even as we celebrate Zuma in this overwhelming and convincing victory, it is indeed pertinent to explore into his political ordeals. Zuma sacked as vice-president by Thabo Mbeki four years ago after being implicated in a corruption scandal; allegations Mr Zuma always denied. The case was eventually thrown out amid evidence of government meddling in the investigation. In February 2006, he was acquitted of rape in a separate case, though he was widely criticised for his comments about sex and HIV/Aids. But today he fought to clear his name, retained enormous popularity, especially among his fellow Zulus, and led the ANC to an election victory some weeks back on a pro-poor populist ticket.

I think it is a welcome development to congratulate this newly sworn-in President of South Africa. This political situation has again left the whole world to witness another jubilant mood of the majority of South Africans, and the learning from this is that the wish of the people of South-Africa was upheld in terms of choice of candidate. I think in Nigeria after our ten years of uninterrupted democracy, we have a lot to learn from this.

We however understand that former Vice President of Nigeria Alhaji Atiku Abubakar was one of the special guests of honour that attended the swearing in ceremony; we may also recall that these two leaders have some things in common as they both faced prosecutions from their former bosses over corruption allegations, lack of loyalty etc.

Some have even opined that Alhaji Atiku Abubakar is likely to be the next Nigerian President just as all things worked out in favour of Jacob Zuma in South Africa; we would all live to see in 2011,if this assumption by political spectators would metamorphosed into reality, only time will tell.

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