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Opposition leaders Julius Malema and Mmusi Maimane got personal with President Jacob Zuma in their state of the nation address debate.
They criticised him for his links with the politically connected Gupta family, failure to care about ordinary South Africans and ignoring the scourge of corruption in the state.
Here are 17 quotable quotes from Maimane’s speech:
• Last week, while razor wire was going up around Parliament, and stun grenades were dispersing the crowds, the president was tucked safely away, somewhere on Planet Zuma.
• Planet Zuma is a place in a parallel universe, far, far away from the lives of ordinary South Africans.
• Planet Zuma is a place where a swimming pool is called a fire pool. It is a place where all the continents of the world fit into Africa.
• Planet Zuma is a place where a president can replace an excellent finance minister with a backbencher that nobody has ever heard of.
• Planet Zuma is a place where young people who stand up for their right to learn are dismissed as part of a “third force” and charged with treason.
• It is a place where mine workers can be massacred by the police, without apology and without compensation for their families.
• Planet Zuma is where our president lives, in a galaxy far, far away from the lives of ordinary South Africans.
• On Planet Zuma, there is no jobs crisis. This is why, in the president’s speech, we didn’t hear anything about the 8.3 million South Africans who are jobless.
• On Planet Zuma, all children have access to a quality education. This must be why the president didn’t mention basic education once.
• And, on Planet Zuma, every problem can be solved by setting up a committee, a task team or a commission of inquiry.
• Madam Speaker, the president lived up to our expectations on Thursday. We expected to hear the empty words of a man out of touch with the people. And that is what we got.
• Let me be clear: we came to listen to the president out of respect for the Constitution and the office he holds. But we did not come out of respect for Jacob Zuma.
• We cannot respect a man who puts himself and his rich friends first while the people of this country suffer.
• Madam Speaker, Jacob Zuma is not an honourable man. Because, if he was an honourable man, he would do the honourable thing and resign.
• The president is not alone on Planet Zuma. It’s gravitational pull is so strong that the entire ANC has been sucked into its orbit, and it cannot escape.
• The party that was once the defender of freedom has now become the defender of just one man.
• We need a president who puts the people first, and himself last. You, sir, are not that president.
