'You are morally corrupt'

Wed, 27 Jul 2011

below is an open letter from an iafrica.com reader to President Jacob Zuma.Dear Mr. Zuma,

Excuse me for the casual way in which I address you, but I just can't bring myself to call you President Zuma until such time as you begin to act like one in the matters surrounding Julius Malema and many other current issues. This letter to you is just a way for me to convey my concerns, frustrations and conclusions I draw as a youngish white English-speaking South African male who, contrary to what you may think, holds only one passport. Just like my real South African white Afrikaans brethren, I too am not going anywhere and hence I keep an eye on the news and often find myself wondering how we have come to this point in South Africa.

I have a problem when an individual such as Julius Malema can live the lifestyle he does on the income he declares. I guess there is nothing new in this concern, as he has been doing it for a while now, and it has been pointed out by many in recent days.

What really concerns me though is the way that an individual who becomes the leader of the ANCYL (let's not forget that it is a division of the ANC) can become so wealthy so quickly. Given his level of education, one may be pushed to see how this is possible were it not for dealings that are not entirely above board. I am not simple, so his harping on about being "poor but creditworthy" really does not fool me. Nobody is that creditworthy. The man is obviously up to his elbows in cash and loving it. Every person is of course entitled to earn a living, but when they clearly earn significant amounts of money by doing what would seem to be very little at all, one wonders how they come by this wealth.

Let's assume for a minute that Julius is not guilty of any crime. If this is the case, why can he simply not divulge the source of his extensive wealth? We can all go on with our lives safe in the knowledge that the head of the ANC Youth League is on the straight and narrow, that he earns an honest wage, and that the president of our country is not commenting as there really is no need. If this wonderful trust fund of his is used for philanthropy, why can he not show the public the work being done and the flow of money into the fund and to the benefactors? If this trust fund is receiving money for all this wonderful charitable work from above-board sources, why can these not be listed? Surely they'd be honoured? I would be!

Now before you answer that, I know that his private affairs are just that, but one would think that there is a fantastic opportunity in this for Mr. Malema. Imagine his popularity jump should he be publicly shown to be both fully accountable and donating to the poor and needy. Imagine the political benefits of such a windfall revelation! Surely any politician's dream come true, and an opportunity to cherish and embrace?
But here we have the crunch. For what I believe to be the very same reason that you went to Mauritius to legally withhold evidence from a court of law, Mr. Malema went to court in an attempt to get an injunction against the press to muzzle the story about the trust fund. (Where's that blasted Protection of Information Bill when you need it!) I can only think that this is because you are both guilty of illegal activity. Why would you want to hide Mauritian documents if they did not implicate you in wrong-doing? Why would Julius want to hide his trust fund if it did not take the public one step closer to knowing about the source of his no doubt ill-gotten wealth? There really is not an answer that suits either of you and hence the silence.
Same with our top cop? It seems to me that you are both playing a game here which involves making use of valid legal processes to avert the course of justice. Of course, we as South Africans take seriously the principle of innocent until proven guilty, but what astounds me is the way that people, and in particular certain politicians, seem to think that their legal status is their actual status. There is a difference between guilt in reality and in a court of law. Every person who commits a crime is guilty of that crime and hence a criminal. They may be prosecuted and let off on a technicality, or never be prosecuted at all in a court of law, and thus legally they may remain innocent. In reality they are however still criminals, and the very fact that both you and Julius need to resort to "legal games" to avoid the truth implies (at least in my mind) that you are criminals. An understandable, simple and logical conclusion, and forgive me if I'm wrong.

I am concerned that the very man sworn in to uphold the values entrenched in our constitutional democracy is so very quiet about the corruption and fraud that is becoming more and more obvious to any sensible South African. Is this simply because you are morally bankrupt? The more I worry about this the more I come to the realisation that you may actually not care about South Africa, its constitution or its people. The threats you made to Vrischgewacht voters during our last election that their ancestors would be unhappy with them should they not vote ANC are proof to me that the concept of modern democracy is not something you take seriously. This kind of threat is cultural blackmail, and I am saddened that with the constitution we have, you were not impeached for such a statement.
So there you go. Ignoring all the other alleged failings of both yourself and of Julius Malema; ignoring all the finer details; ignoring all the legal mumbo jumbo, these simple deductions from irrefutable facts are what damn both of you. It is now clearer than ever before that illegal and immoral activity is not only condoned by you, but also appears to be your modus operandi. It is clear that the current crop of ANC politicians and supporters are all just as guilty by association, by condoning this behaviour through their deafening silence and by putting you there in the first place.

I personally believe that every single one of you are morally corrupt, and having a morally corrupt party at the helm of this country is a worrying thing for a guy with one passport who is simply trying to make ends meet, and make a future for himself and his family in this frustratingly lovely country.

I may of course be wrong, but I believe that the history books will not be kind to you, that you are a poor president, and the values you represent and condone are damaging to South Africa, its reputation and its people. Were you a real man of honour, I'd think you'd step down, but I guess that whilst the money is good, that's too much to ask.

One final suggestion, and that is that you and Julius are going to need to get your stories straight. Your ancestors are going to have some difficult questions lined up for you guys when you finally move on, and who you voted for will be the least of your problems! Die poppe gaan lekker dans, ouboet! If they don't in this life, they will in the next; if of course you believe in that kind of thing!

Sincerely,

Andrew

http://news.iafrica.com/features/743665.html