South Africa’s Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka comments that South Africa can learn a lot from Zimbabwe’s land reform, namely, how to do it faster. South Africa needs a bit of “oomph”, she says, and maybe should get some colleagues from Zimbabwe to come and advise on how to get that oomph. Polite laughter.
South Africa’s an interesting case. Can a constitutional process of transition, a good political precedent in the practices of the first democratically elected leader, a political culture that prizes dissent, and the best hopes of many millions be enough to keep the consistently bad impulses of nationalist political leaders from self-destruction?
it is widely accepted that the comment by our deputy president was a joke. A misplaced joke for sure, but not a serious comment.
http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=6&art_id=vn20050811071529182C520358
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I agree that there’s no question that it was meant as a joke. I think it’s at the least a joke in poor taste. Beyond that, I think it underscores the lack of seriousness within the upper leadership about Zimbabwe. Finally, I suggest that it’s one of those kinds of jokes that has a menacing undercurrent to it, that allows someone to send a message that they can then disavow by saying they were just kidding.