You must be sick and tired of hearing and reading about Jacob Zuma’s cabinet reshuffle.
But after a week like none other in our political history, it is hard to ignore.
I remember clearly how tense things were during the Kempton Park negotiations.
We were on a knife’s edge as leaders haggled over our constitutional future.
I remember how worried I was that we may be on the brink of a civil war, after Chris Hani was killed.
And who can forget the sense of nervous anticipation in the days building up to our first democratic elections?
All of those now pale in comparison to what happened on Thursday night and the fallout from Zuma’s fifth cabinet shake-up.
Political analysts much smarter than me are also trying to understand why it happened.
I’ve been agonising over what to say about it. And this is what I came up with:
I understand that every leader in any position of authority has to surround himself with people he can trust; people who are loyal to him and won’t go behind his back.
So whenever someone takes over a new position of power, there’s an expectation that he will make a few changes here and there, especially when it comes to the individuals he will be working very closely with.
This is true for companies and countries alike.
In the case of the cabinet, Zuma has the right to hire and fire ministers as he sees fit and of course he would want loyal people around him.
The problem is you have to carefully balance your need for loyal subordinates against their ability to do the job.
You can’t fire a highly competent person and replace them with someone who can’t do the job, simply because they are loyal.
And that’s not to mention the fact that presidents have a lot more to consider when making changes, compared to CEOs and company bosses.
When it comes to a country trying to play in the big leagues, “stability” is the key word.
So sometimes it’s better to earn respect, rather than demand it.
Besides, it’s never a good thing to surround yourself with people who agree with everything you say, because they fear you.
So now the question is, is it really true that Jacob Zuma can do no wrong and that he will continue to enjoy the support of his party, no matter what?
And if so, are South Africans going to continue voting for a party that can ignore such blatant abuses of power?
Have we finally reached the point of civil mobilisation again, or will this just be another strike for Zuma?
How many strikes will it take? And what exactly is he up to?
Is there some method in his madness? Or is this man truly in the process of destroying his and his party’s legacy so that he can die a wealthy man one day?
Can one man really be that short-sighted and greedy?
Did the ANC really help liberate us, just to sell us out at the first opportunity of self- enrichment?
What do we do now?
Well, there are calls for civil protests and this is where it gets interesting. Because we have become a complacent nation.
We don’t think our lone little voices matter much. But we forget that we are not alone.
The fear, frustration and anger you feel is shared by millions, each feeling as helpless as you.
Then, of course, there’s the fact that after years and years of toyi-toying, we suffer from protest fatigue.
I suspect most of us didn’t think protests would be necessary so soon again.
We had hoped for a bit of peace and quiet; political contentedness. But it is not yet to be.
We must let our leaders know who is ultimately in charge of Pretoria and the coffers of this nation.
While we were liberated in 1994, we have not yet had one unifying cause that could bring us together as a people.
Maybe this is the good that’s going to come of this. Maybe Jacob has underestimated us?
Maybe we will do exactly as Nelson Mandela asked, when he instructed us to keep our leaders honest and accountable by protesting when they stray from the promises they made to us.