POSSESSING a natural flair for ambiguous satire in the world of politics, is talented Wentworth author, Richard J Mann who has produced a book which promises an interesting take on South Africa’s current affairs.
In his latest satirical to former president Jacob Zuma, Richard has perfectly married politics and comedy in his book titled Dear Mr Zuma.
“Donald Trump and others have tried, with varying degrees of success, to marry politics and comedy. No one has attained the giddy heights that our own former president has conquered. A seamless union that no man can pull asunder. This is a tribute to his comic genius.
“The views expressed in this book are not necessarily mine, as I sometimes hear voices. Mainly, journalist and radio presenter, Bongani Bingwa, and political analyst and author, Eusebius McKaizer. These normally recede when I remove the earphones. Any resemblance to persons living, dead, pretending to be either or the undead, is purely intentional,” said Richard. The book is a compilation of letters to Zuma in response to all the interesting things that he did during his presidency from 2017 and his influence to date.
“It’s focused on Zuma but it also speaks to what’s happening to us and in South Africa. From the shuffling of cabinets, the Guptas, the commission of inquiries – it’s all highlighted. It’s intended to be funny but I hope that somewhere in the middle of a laugh, someone will question the crazy reality we live in.”
Asked what it would mean to him to have Zuma read his book, Richard said: “It would be a nice highlight indeed. I would be fascinated by how he’d respond. I’d love to see if he’d read the letters with a sense of humour or if he’d be stung. I think he may find parts of it funny but perhaps in some parts he may also be a bit offended. The real highlight though would be a lot of South Africans reading this and have a laugh while being inspired to think about what has become of our beloved country,” said Richard who believes that his book has something everyone can take from it.
With his book in its final publishing stages, he continues to pen satirical, thought-provoking letters to various politicians and leaders including the likes of Julius Malema and Bheki Cele on his blog, The Scuffle Continues, for his next book.
“I’ve always been interested in writing. Many years ago, probably back in the 80s, I joined the South African Writers Circle. There I started out writing fictional short stories. The first story I wrote, which was based on my life experiences in Wentworth, won me the South African Writers Circle annual prize,” he reflected. He however put his writing on hold when his career in human resources took flight which saw him travel throughout the country and beyond boarders.
“It was upon my return to South Africa from Sierra Leone, that I was in awe of what South Africa had become, politically and in other spheres. I couldn’t believe what was happening to our country. It was almost like a complete comic fantasy, you couldn’t imagine this kind of thing. And so, I started to write about the politics and various thought-provoking aspects of life, even something as simple as my experience riding taxis. I’ve been writing ever since,” he added.
The book will be available to the public in February. To order a copy, call Richard on 083-397-0723 or email oliver29jt@gmail.com.
