Sunday Independent on 15 March 2015

‘The insults being thrown at us today were thrown all the time. And I will deal with this matter when I answer questions next week more strongly,” President Jacob Zuma said while speaking in Parliament on February 19. He had just given a historical account of his party’s commitment to non-racialism. This part of the speech was a response to Freedom Front Plus leader Pieter Mulder’s accusation that the ANC government was hostile to whites.

It was a rare moment of brilliance by Zuma since he became president six years ago. Zuma was not only speaking off the cuff, but was also doing so confidently and his narrative was accurate. The man was in his element, and sensed that he had just dazzled the watching public.