Buthelezi to Zuma: Some honesty would be nice

Honesty about the state of the economy is what IFP leader Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, who is also one of the longest serving MPs in South Africa’s Parliament, would like to hear from President Jacob Zuma during next month’s state of the nation address. 

Buthelezi has sat through 25 state of the nation addresses that were delivered to Parliament by four different presidents over a 21-year period. 

“So what is it that I am looking for in the state of the nation address? Quite simply, honesty. 

“Honesty about the economy. Honesty about the mistakes the government has made,” Buthelezi told the Cape Town Press Club this afternoon. 

“Honesty about how long it will take and how little is being done to fix the problems that weak leadership has created. 

“I want the president to be honest about the depth of the economic crisis we find ourselves in, and about the fact that we didn’t arrive here by accident, but because of the poor economic policies and the dithering by political leaders,” he added. 

Buthelezi was invited by the club to talk about his expectations for the state of the nation address, which will be delivered by Zuma on February 11. 

He said there was “far too much” that the president does not say during his addresses that needed to be said. 

He said there were also things that Zuma says that have no meaning, like: “we are making enormous strides”, “we are hard at work”, and “we will deliver results soon”. 

Buthelezi criticised the ruling ANC, saying it was known for making empty promises that were unsupported by any evidence or logical plan. 

“How could the president announce, for example, the imminent creation of 500 000 jobs, when the economy was about to lose a million jobs? Have the actuaries in the presidency been replaced with fortune cookies?” 

Buthelezi claimed that since before democracy, when placards went up promising jobs and houses for all, he warned the ANC not to lie to the people. 

Buthelezi pointed out that he had served as acting president of the republic on 22 occasions, but had never had the “onerous privilege” of delivering a state of the nation address. 

He said that, in his experience of 22 years in Parliament, the address was becoming “less and less meat, and more and more fluff”. 

“It comes across now as little more than an exceptionally expensive PR exercise for the ruling party,” he said, adding that he anticipated a repeat of the theatrics that marred last year’s address this year. 

Partly addressing the race issues that had engulfed the country since the beginning of this year, Buthelezi said he had warned back in 2012 that race would become “our next national question”. 

“Sadly that has come to pass, as the divisions between our various peoples are being highlighted more and more, not only by the Penny Sparrows in our midst but by politicians with an agenda of revolution. 

“I disagree with the president that we are blowing this out of proportion and that there are only four or five racists in South Africa.” 

Buthelezi said the truth was that when South Africa foisted cultural hegemony on a newly democratic country, to serve the image of a rainbow nation, it never actually healed the rifts, hurts and divisions between its people. 

“We just papered over them. And although we have had 22 years to get used to one another, it is all too easy to divide us again with a few irresponsible statements. 

“We should see our diverse nation as a salad, rather than trying to reduce all the ingredients into one flavour of soup. Just as it was irresponsible then for leaders to ignore people’s differences, it is irresponsible now for leaders to capitalise on them, opening up social divisions,” he added. 

Buthelezi was the first of a number of opposition leaders that the Cape Town Press Club would host over the next few weeks to talk about their expectations for Zuma’s address.