Five quotes from Sipho Pityana’s charged speech against Zuma
Speaking at the Cape Town press club, businessman and founder of the 'Save South Africa' movement, Sipho Pityana delivered a speech that was fiercely critical of the country's president.
Sipho Pityana during the discussion of Adrian Lackay and Johann van Loggerenberg’s book “Rogue, the inside story of SARS elite crime busting unit” on November 11, 2016 in Pretoria, South Africa. The book, co-written by former SARS employees, is an expose of the controversial SARS unit which has since been shut down. (Photo by Gallo Images / Alet Pretorius)
1. On president Jacob Zuma presenting the state of the nation address to parliament in Cape Town.
“He will gloss over the mistakes he has made‚ he will ignore the rampant corruption and abuse that causes the current crises we face‚ and he will roll out another set of promises‚ replete with unintelligible numbers.”
Given the circumstance‚ we can expect it to be the most underwhelming State of the Nation Address in democratic South African history.
2. Pityana’s speech bordered on an outright attack on Zuma’s presidency
“After all‚ it will be delivered by the worst head of the post-apartheid state and the worst president the African National Congress has ever had.
“It will be delivered by a head of state with absolutely no respect for the Constitution of his own country — a head of state who disregards the courts and institutions of his own democracy‚ such as Parliament and Chapter 9 institutions.
“It will be delivered by a head of state who is the commander-in-chief of state corruption and who brazenly and daringly drives the agenda for state capture — a man who has neither honour nor integrity‚ and absolutely no sense of accountability.”
3. On respect, he said Number 1 had little integrity
“Each year‚ he climbs the podium in Parliament and promises us a better future that he has no intention to deliver — because he has no respect for the people of this country.”
4. He called Zuma a ‘conman’
“A simple analysis of previous Sona speeches shows that Zuma is nothing more than a conman and a dishonorable leader. After all‚ this is a President whom the Constitutional Court found to have broken his oath of office to uphold‚ promote and defend the constitution.”
5. The Guptas and their alleged self-enrichment was brought up
“What does the Cabinet Lekgotla say about the fact that Zuma has promised radical economic transformation through a black industrialist programme — and yet the result is that the richest black person under his administration is now Mr Ajay Gupta? How is it that the President’s best friend has been able to surpass Africans who previously claimed this spot in the past?”
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