London, GB | Formerly of New York, Buenos Aires, Fife, and the Western Cape. | Saoránach d’Éirinn.

Zuma’s Day

“PRAETORIA PHILADELPHIA” — Pretoria of Brotherly Love — was the formal name for the paramount of South Africa’s three capital cities. Pretoria, the jacarandastad, is home to the Executive; Cape Town, die moederstad, is home to the Parliament, and Bloemfontein, the “City of Roses”, is home to the High Court of Appeal. While the politics of government take place in Cape Town, its actual administration takes place in Pretoria, and all that flows forth from the stately Union Buildings that preside over the city from atop Meintjieskop. The Uniegebou is composed of two wings that come together in a semicircular amphiteatre, symbolizing the coming-together of Briton & Boer in the Union of South Africa. Designed by Sir Herbert Baker, Lutyens’ lieutenant in the building of New Delhi, some believe it to be his finest work.

The amphiteatre at the center of the Buildings is the place where presidents of this land — a republic since 1961 — are inaugurated, and so, this past Saturday, did Pius Nkonzo Langa, 19th Chief Justice of South Africa, swear in Mr. Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma MP as the 12th President of the Republic of South Africa. The day began with a bit of rain but the sun shone bright by the time of the actual act.

I popped into Cape Town for the morning so all I caught of the ceremony on TV was the arrival of the Vice President of the Sudan; not terribly exciting I’ll admit. But these events are the kind that allow an opportunity for all those lovely traditions — brought to South Africa by the British, molded by the Afrikaners, and now adapted by the black government — come to the fore. (It was a shame that the widow of the late P. W. Botha politely declined the offer of a state funeral for the former president; it’s been a while since South Africa has had a state funeral).

The SAAF displays its prowess, with the Delville Wood monument in the foreground.

The Chief Justice Mr. Pius Langa administers the oath of office.

The inauguration provided an opportunity for numerous knuckleheads, both foreign and domestic, to combine. Mr. Robert Mugabe (the noted Zimbabwe politician and agricultural expert) joined former President Nelson Mandela (famous for taking a broad-based non-violent movement and turning it into a Soviet-backed terrorist organization that attacked civilians and prolonged apartheid) and fashion icon Col. Mu’ammar al-Gaddafi (Chairman of the African Union and “Leader and Guide of the Revolution” of Libya).

Not all the inhabitants of Pretoria, however, were keen on Mr. Mugabe’s presence in South Africa.

Published at 1:15 pm on Tuesday 12 May 2009. Categories: Politics South Africa Tags: , .
Comments

I’m sure Zuma will continue with the brilliant legacy Mbeki started of maintaining the honored traditions of South Africa’s past, without diluting it with politically correct African’ess’. Maybe Mugabe can give him some good pointers on how to get things started…they look like they will be best friends already.

— Capt Stephen Chledowski 13 May 2009 3:09 am
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