Ladies and gentlemen, Mr Jacob Zuma!

For all intents and South African political purposes the only-a-matter-of-time-unless-convicted-of-corruption-charges State President. Of course there are those who are throwing their socio-political hands up in a "there goes the neighbourhood" kind of way at the thought of JZ, as he is affectionately known, becoming the head-native-in-charge. I must confess for a long time I was not too certain if I could emotionally survive being JZ's subject until of course I had cause to contemplate the alternative.

The alternative was the return of Thabo Mbeki to the office of the president of the ANC. There is nothing untoward about this, considering that there had been a rather long stay in that position by one Oliver Reginald Tambo. Given the recent history of the ANC as a political organisation as opposed to a liberation movement however, one Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela had set a different tune to the music to which musical chairs were to be played. He (lovable Nelson) stepped down from both head of state and head of party positions. Granted, he had recently gotten married to one gorgeous and regal mamaGraca, so playing CEO of SAInc may not have been as attractive a proposition as it otherwise may have been. It became accepted, I suppose that the head native in charge should also be the leader of the party and his people.

In the meanwhile it looks like the napoleon-like incumbent, he of "a dream deferred/fit to govern/I'm an African" fame, was quickly falling out of favour among the people; and here ladies and gentlemen is the clincher - falling out of favour with the people that is.

This falling out of favour with the people thing has been characterised and documented as amaXhosa versus amaZulu members of the ANC, the ascendency of the communists and the left-wing, etc.

I will not hold it against you if you by now have stopped reading this blog at this point. What with it going all over the place and not sticking to any discernable plot.

Truth be told such is the nature of the events that culminated in the ascendence of JZ to the presidency of the heavyweight political contender in SA; they are every, almost like a disorderly series of explosions.

That being said ladies and gentlemen, I proudly present to you Mr Jacob Zuma. I do this in celebration of our (South African) constitutional democracy. Remember the clincher above, the one about the people and falling and favour? That is my motivation for celebration and presentation to you of JZ a native of my motherland. I celebrate the fact that not even a sitting president is bigger than the will of the people.

A lot has in the meantime been written and said about the people. How the people are being used and are non the wiser for even considering JZ (he who had carnal knowledge of a woman half his age while being married to 3 other women at the same time) for the leadership of the ANC and by implication the leadership of this here beautiful country. How can such a man clearly lacking in basic sense of morality not to mention fidelity. Let us not forget that the exchange of bodily fluids with the woman half his age led to JZ being charged with rape. Of course he was found guilty and found to being at risk of being HIV positive. Apparently the young woman is HIV positive. And then there was a trial of Shabir Shaik a friend and one time financial advisor to JZ. He has been found guilty of among other things, corruption. He (Mr Shaik) is said to have showered large sums of money on JZ in return for all manner of favours including government contracts - by the way all this is rather hazy. Hazy it shall remain until JZ stands trial some time in August.

He will stand trial for all manner of charges chief among which is corruption. Until then he remains in pole position in the race for the highest office in our country. Confidence abound that JZ will beat the rap and shall be free and fit to govern. Wouldn't that be interesting? Who would one Shaik be said to have corrupted? These are of course all weighty legal matters and questions, too weighty for yours truly. What I do know however is that for as long as state power is not absolute and the people are free to choose who they wish (whoever she may be) I shall continue to celebrate.

So ladies and gentlemen allow me to present to you the teenage democracy otherwise known as South Africa and with it Mr Jacob Zuma! Take it from yours truly, sometimes democracy does jump and take a bite on yo ass -sometimes it hurts for real but most times it just scares the common sense out of you - momentarily that is.