South Africa Heads Toward Zimbabweland

All hail the Glorious Leader!

How soon things change.

The World Cup from South Africa was supposed to consecrate a new era for South Africa in the world.

Modern.

Sophisticated.

Advanced.

Now, President Zuma has made a clear demonstration that he intends to take his country down the path of their neighbor Zimbabwe, towards a dictatorship and repression.

Too bad.

Poor South Africa has been through more than enough torture since the first Dutch settlers landed there more than 400 years ago.

And, one might have hoped, that the legacy of Nelson Mandella would become the guiding spirit for the country.

Instead, it seems, Josef Stalin and Robert Mugabe are to be the guiding spirits of the country.

As, alas, with most of the rest of the continent, South Africa is now headed toward becoming yet another petty dictatorship.

Yesterday, President Zuma announced that “media need to be regulated“, effectively ending any notion of a free press in South Afirca.

Said Zuma:

“The media that says this is a restriction on us, we are the watchdog of the people – they were never elected.

“They need to be governed themselves because at times they go overboard on the rights,” he said.

Asked who would have the capability of regulating a free press, Zuma responded:

“We at the ANC, we believe we do. We fought for the rights. We understand what are the rights.

Well, there you have it in a nutshell.

The ANC understands what are the rights.

The press does not.

For Zuma and the ANC is this not just rhetoric. They are preparing a bill that they are going to jam past their rubber-stamp pariament later this year to enforce this dictatorship by law.

If you were concerned enough about South Africa to protest apartheid, then you must be as concerned about South Africa to protest this affront to basic freedom and human rights.

I am indebted to Jonathan Berman and our friends at 790TV in Capetown for bringing this to our attention.