SOUTH AFRICA: Mr Mandela must be rolling in his grave...President Jacob Zuma's home was outfitted with a swimming pool, amphitheatre, visitor centre, cattle enclosure and chicken coop built as part of what was said to have been a State-funded security upgrade....unethical conduct in relation to the use of £13.7 million of State funds in the refurbishing of his private home.

Friday, January 23, 2015    

Politicians are indeed a rare breed. Thankfully, though, not all of them are given to contradictions in their pronouncements and actions.

South Africa President Jacob Zuma

For there are, among them, people who still uphold the highest ideals of integrity, common decency and the purest motives of serving their compatriots.

Locally, Messrs Burchell Whiteman and the late Seymour 'Foggy' Mullings come easily to mind as among the group of politicians whose integrity is beyond question.

Unfortunately, politics across the globe has been, and still is populated by individuals with whom one could easily draw parallels to the pigs in George Orwell's allegorical novel Animal Farm.

"All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others," they told their comrades as they cemented their stranglehold on power over their master's farm, which they had seized in an overthrow.

Essentially, the pigs were making it clear that power and privilege belonged to a small elite.

Our recollection of the pigs' decree was prompted by South African President Jacob Zuma's address to the ruling African National Congress (ANC) a few weeks ago.

"The ANC must continue to lead in ending corruption in the state, the private sector and amongst our own members," President Zuma told the party during celebrations to mark its 103rd anniversary. more