The South African media has always tried to be king makers without - TopicsExpress

The South African media has always tried to be king makers without success. News that journalists were found on the DA list of candidates for parliament were not astounding considering that the South African media has always tried to be king makers. This media seems to be disengaged from the politics on the ground and they never learn from their asphyxiation of parallel truth. Who can forget the wanton war they waged against President Jacob Zuma in 2007 (which still continues )with articles headlines like “Who are we to be faced with the likes of Zuma as ANC president when we once had the likes of Mandela” To them President Jacob Zuma was the ultimate of political incorrectness, compared to the Western way of doing things. After all he was the guy who embraced his culture and emancipated himself from dogma. He would ‘nt aloof himself from traditional ceremonies. He took it a step further by dancing in traditional ceremonies in his Zulu attire. A sin that no president is allowed to get away with. Unless the Obamas do it, then it supposed to be a trend for everybody. This reminds me of Steve Jobs ‘s famous article about death, where he teaches against being trapped by dogma: which is trying to live up to other people ‘s expectations. He goes went further by warning us against those who teach us about heaven and the need to be close to God but are not willing themselves to die so that they can meet him! As a backdrop to the plethora of articles and analysis that appeared in newspapers, wise and considered political writers agued cogently with out cogitating why Zuma would not, or should not be elected the president of the ANC. Some great political writers such as Harald Pakendorf,had already made up their minds by April 2007 “one must never confuse noise with influence and neither the masses nor the senior ANC men and woman would elect a leader who is a democratic myth.” With statements like this my advice would be for them to join the ANC and try to use such astute analysis from within. Ordinary ANC members seem not to give a damn about what the media have to say, in particular the newspapers. An abyss seems to have opened up between ANC supporters and the media- they can report what they like, but the views of the people will remain the same. The focus of ordinary citizen is fixed on service delivery issues. This trend seem to be the result of a sense among people that the newspapers, say what they want to say willy-nilly, with little (respect) interest in what the people within the ANC think . The fact is that many people in any case do not trust the newspapers. In the opinion of Ronald Suresh Roberts, ‘Selling no more than 600 000 copies to a predominantly privileged readership in a country of more than 50 million people, most of whom are black and poor and get mainly the radio news: the print media remain resoundingly elist, as the ANC website pointed out in a multipart-series on the ‘Sociology of Public Discourse’. Jacob Zuma is a patient and humble man, who listens to the people and not vice versa as these tabloids would have us to believe. Addressing a meeting in the Eastern Cape in November 2007,on a hot and a dusty Sunday, he was confronted by a fractious crowd of about 800 people, whom about half were staunch Mbeki supporters and wouldn’t let him start his speech until they have finished singing ‘Mbeki for president’. He conducted himself as coolly as the proverbial cucumber. After waiting for them to finish, he delivered a 40 minute speech in IsiXhosa and English about the celebration of 63 years anniversary of the ANC Youth League and the ANC in general,by the time he had finished-they were singing ‘umshini wam’. So the booing trend that has been resurrected to undermine his leadership is nothing new to him that he cannot handle. Terro Lekota had always had a beef with Zuma ,since he was fired as the Free State premier. He was once cautioned in an NEC meeting to desist from intemperate public attacks on the ANC ‘s then deputy president. Lekota was the first in the ring to accuse Zuma of having asked to be fired from the Cabinet in 2005. Zuma had therefore behaved disingenuously by later claiming that there was a ‘conspiracy ‘ against him ,he said.Zuma said from London that he was not going to comment on Lekota’s ‘nonsense’. Lekota just like Lindiwe,Hellen and Julius always had an indecent obsession with president Jacob Zuma.So obsessed that he failed to lead Cope into a vibrant opposition party. God knows what are their policies. No wonder people are living Cope to come back to the ANC. His obsession with POWER is unjustified. He failed to negotiate with Mbazima to keep his party united. He left the ANC once he was stripped off his position in the in the NEC. He claimed , he could not serve under Jacob Zuma and that Cope was to be the ‘real ANC’. He now claims Julius is innocent. He was the first to steal the Legacy of the African National Congress and called his failled venture , ‘The Congress of the People ‘Now we have another thief stealing an old ANC policy to use it as a name for his party and claiming to be the inventor of berets. Lekota tried to practice democracy at the ‘Congress of the People’ but ended up in courts ,after his party failed hold successful elective conferences on numerous occasions. He should have learned from his innocent friend and just call himself a commander, so that he can lead his party until Jesus comes! Same goes for the DA which has been claiming Jacob Zuma ‘s leadership as a president of the ANC and the country is weak. Weak is better than nonexistence. Hellen Zille (and her federal) is just childish.They are sour critics born to be displeased: Firstly: she organizes a weird much for jobs to Luthuli House. Secondly: she announces prematurely Ramamphili as her party ‘s presidential candidate: Thirdly they are infamous for their BEE fiasco,then reverse, then what? I do not remember what they stand for anymore ,apart from sending people smses and doing adverts that claims the ANC Ayisafani. They live in courts and are without a presidential candidate days before the main event. Simply because they don’t know who they are or who they are becoming. The ANC is evolving as it elects its office bereurs every four years-it will not remain in the apartheid epoch forever as it has a mandate to deliver,while continuously being given plenipotentiary by the people to carry it out. The ANC doesn’t spend millions of rends on adverts claiming to have fought against apartheid, as everybody know its history worldwide. The DA was sitting on the fence and has to convince people about its struggle cresedentials or scout for them. The ANC stood for sanctions and Gorilla warfare to free everybody ,unlike the IFP ‘s Mangosuthu Buthelezi who was calling for investment for KZN only. The media criticizes the ANC ‘s good story, supported by these opposition parties who don’t have anything to tell. President Jacob Zuma is correct to say those who say life was better under apartheid(including those who see no change) need medical attention. For even the DA knows this and says it in its adverts. Bantu Holomisa ‘s UDM,I even forget it exist until election time when I see their logo on the ballot paper. He is obsessed with ANC politics ,forgetting his membership expired long ago. He claims the cabinet ‘s majority comes from KZN . How is that going to help his party win elections ? I though ANC structures should raise that not the UDM as it is not part of the Alliance. He is wasting his time on trivial issues, instead of trying to teach people about UDM policies, if they have any. The biased media seems to focus on ANC failures and not its successes. Have you seen any journalist who wrote an ANC friendly article, applauding it for the success that South Africa is today compared to other nations? As they were in 2007, they are the same today. Promoting opposition parties, attacking the ANC, believing elections are run on social networks. ‘Shock’ might be to strong a word, but many people are definitely going to be going to petrified when the ANC wins the elections overwhelmingly. The members of the media ,the print, electronic , and some political analyst-the very people who are supposed to know what is going on and to tell society about it-always seem to be the most flabbergasted and ‘surprised’ by the turn of events. Anton Harber ,professor of journalism was correct when he said: the answer is pretty straightforward-too much speculation by journalists, not enough legwork. Reporting he said, is largely reduced to carrying claims and counter-claims from each side, and providing a channel for leaks ,instead of trying to find out what is happening at branch level in the ANC.The media doesn’t listen or talk to the people it ought to be talking to, but listens to minority groups who are dominating the article space and letters. After all, the editors have a last word as to what gets printed. For example they are now promoting the pessimistic agenda of the red and blue berets pervets.Who are pervading false prognostications about the state of the nation perversely. This phenomenon of pestering the president in parliament and in the media by so called pertly philanthropist is not persuasive. Instead of talking to the people the intellectuals (and journalists) are talking to themselves and the white minority. When I read the letters and text messages on the Citizen ,for example-I come to the conclusion: to few whites have an understanding of grass-roots black people, and black journalists don’t seem to to bother with them either. So there is no understanding coming out of the media of what black people in the townships think’. Patric Lawrence was right when he said: Black and white journalist kind of shut their minds to the possibility of a Zuma presidency. As to quote John Voster:The idea of a Zuma presidency for many whites and apparently for many black media people as well, unfortunately- just “too ghastly to contemplate.”The media ,with the opposition parties miss the depth of JZ’s (‘s ANC –according to Hellen ) support ,because they spend too much time analyzing their own fears and prejudices (in restaurants, work offices and dinner tables). Instead of asking the people what do they want the ANC to do for them-journalist are busy talking to themselves. People need to recognize that: while Julius Malema is a shrilly shrimp, a showman like the sightless Lindiwe Mazibuko-in contrast, president Jacob Zuma in the words of Mark Geviser-is a ‘shrewder with a more impressive personality than most people think. ‘People forgot, or did not even know,’ Patric Lawrence once said: ‘that Jacob Zuma might not have an impressive formal educatiotion, but he is astute and perceptive.’ (some of the text come from Jeremy Godon .autobiography of JZ!)