Zuma admission may be first step to recovery of SA’s battered reputation

Today's Rational Perspective suggests Tuesday's spirited outburst by Remgro chairman Johann Rupert and an equally scathing editorial in the Times of London by SA-associated Jenni Russell may have a bright side. Yesterday SA President Jacob Zuma admitted that the ruling ANC is in trouble – and by implication, South Africa itself. In 12 step recovery programmes, the first step is always admitting there is a problem. Hope springs eternal. (apologies for the sound quality – getting the hang of the new lapel mic…..) – AH.ALEC HOGG: Good morning. I'm Alec Hogg and this is The Rational Perspective. It's the 27th of November (a Thursday) and it's been one of those weeks that you would have hoped, could be forgotten. Yet more news coming up this morning. However, it's positive, but we'll get into that in a moment. Reputation is everything. It takes you a lifetime to build and it can be destroyed in an instant. As a nation, South Africa has come a long way since 1994, when the Apartheid Era officially ended with the installation of a new, democratic Government. Over the past few years, lots of money has been spent by Brand South Africa on developing a 'feel good' factor towards the country. Some brilliant advertising executives and 'creatives' have managed to put that together in a way that really does have this country in the right frame of mind as far as international travellers and the international community is concerned. Well, we are in a situation now where a lot of that good work is being destroyed..On Tuesday, Johann Rupert, a leading businessman globally, and the most powerful businessman in South Africa (the Executive Chairman of the Richemont Group) came out swinging against the South African Government, saying it's impossible for him to defend politicians internationally because of the high level of corruption. As if to support his view, Jenny Russell wrote an editorial in the Times of London this week, which is probably causing as much damage, if not more. She says that she is the daughter of political refugees from the Apartheid era, and so, has always kept a very close spot in her heart for South Africa. She writes though, that it appears as though things are going completely pear-shaped in our country. Her focus, as it currently is with many others, is the Nkandla scandal involving the President, Jacob Zuma. Jenny Russell writes that Zuma and his cohorts drove through a R24m approval for security upgrades, into a R250m expansion, which included (as well we know, here) cattle kraals and swimming pools, etcetera. Jacob Zuma himself might finally be coming to the realisation that things are not going the way they should be..Yesterday, according to a report by SAPA, he addressed the ANC Youth League and the tried to explain to them why an election was not to be hold. In that conversation however, from a podium, he said the ANC is in trouble. This is the first time that we've heard the President of the country making such strong statements about an issue that pretty much, everybody else (both inside and outside the party), are fully aware of. There was no suggestion though, that Zuma is taking any responsibility just yet, for his involvement in the trouble that the ANC is in and by implication, South Africa as a whole. However, in 12-step recovery programs, the first step is always admitting that you have a problem. Perhaps that is the way we should be viewing what Zuma said this week and indeed, believe that the outburst from Johann Rupert at the Annual General Meeting of Remgro on Tuesday as well as Jenny Russell's piece in the Times of London are at last, switching on some lights where it really matters. This is The Rational Perspective.

Zuma admission may be first step to recovery of SA’s battered reputation

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