Baleka Mbete, SA’s new ‘hilarious’ comedian

South Africa’s newest female comedian made a startling international debut this week on one of the world’s biggest television networks, having her audience in stitches on many occasions with her one-liners.

Former parliamentary speaker Baleka Mbete was appearing as a guest on the popular Head to Head programme, hosted by Mehdi Hassan on the Al Jazeera global TV network.

She attempted a defence/explanation of the money spent on Jacob Zuma’s home at Nkandla. Hassan noted that the expenditure had been for security upgrades, including a swimming pool and amphitheatre.

“I’m curious,” Hassan went on, “What kind of security was the swimming pool providing the then president of South Africa?” At this point, the audience roared with laughter.

Hassan went on to describe the police minister’s justification video, to the accompaniment of classic music, which had characterised the pool as a “fire prevention measure”.

The audience roared yet again. It was funny, but immensely sad, too, because the people running SA were coming across as clowns.

It didn’t get any better when Mbete tried to explain away the Thabo Mbeki years when, as Hassan pointed out, many people died unnecessarily from Aids because the government refused to distribute anti-retroviral medicines.

Hassan reminded Mbete that Mbeki’s former health minister, Dr Manto Tshabalala-Msimiang, had recommended beetroot and garlic as a way to counteract the virus.

The interview was reminiscent of the worst of the African dictators post-independence. People like Ugandan despot Idi Amin, who once hosted a pageant for journalists in which his air force tried to bomb (but missed) an island in a lake which he proclaimed was “Cape Town”.

In this country, our politicians seem to think that, once they have dreamt up an explanation in their heads, people will accept it. We also have a few techno-savvy ministers who have become masters of not only the popup press conference, but also of the quick quote, underpinned by pithy remarks on Twitter.

We have Gauteng MEC Panyaza Lesufi waxing lyrical about the “Fourth Industrial Revolution” as it applies to learning, the “paperless classroom” and other digital deftness.

But, at least 200 schools in his province continue to pose a threat to the health of teachers and pupils because they have asbestos roofs. Not only that, the province is ignoring a court ruling which ordered that all schools in SA which contained asbestos should be repaired.

The other tendency which came across clearly in Mbete’s interview was the failure of ANC officials, especially at the upper levels, to take responsibility for the multiple disasters which have beset our country.

It’s not my fault, I didn’t know, it has nothing to do with me. We’ve heard it all before. But Mbete made a perfectly accurate statement summing up how this country rolls.

“In the ANC political life, we look at things not exactly the way other people do…”

Hassan: “I think I can agree with that.” More laughter.

What a wonderful image you portrayed, Comrade Baleka.

Brendan Seery

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