During apartheid African, Indian and coloured people were systematically excluded from meaningful participation in the country’s economy. The main goal of BEE (Black Economic Empowerment) is to rectify the one-sided effects of the years of apartheid, which benefited white South Africa. BEE’s strategic aim is also to promote economic growth and development. In more than 16 years, BEE has achieved many successes in correcting the imbalance and promoting economic growth. While a number black billionaires have been created, the majority of black South Africans have not yet benefited. It is now felt that since Zuma ousted Mbeki in Polokwane, BEE has become ZEE (Zuma Economic Empowerment). Some examples are Duduzane Zuma, Jacob’s son in the multibillion-rand Arcelor-Mittal BEE deal and his nephew, Khulubuse Zuma, who has amassed oil resources in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Zapiro’s cartoon shows Jacob Zuma agreeing that more people should benefit from BEE but he has run out of relatives.

President Jacob Zuma, in his first 100 days, has turned out to be not what one would expect. The media, his former critics, the opposition and political analysts were carrying on about Zuma being anti-constitution, anti-judiciary, anti-independent media and devoid of leadership qualities. Despite the tough economic times, has he proved everybody wrong?

Like the Pied Piper of Hamlin, Zapiro’s cartoon of the 20th August 2009 published in the Mail & Guardian shows Zuma leading the ‘rats’ (Media, Opposition, Former critics, Analysts and Others) using the showerhead as his flute.

Visit Zuma’s First 100 days in Office - 14 Zapiro cartoons tell the story

According to Julius Malema, the African National Congress Youth League leader, ‘The International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) decision to test Semenya is racist and sexist’. One cannot blame anyone to be annoyed at what has gone on. But it is not racism or sexism, it is downright disgraceful behaviour from the IAAF and jealousy from those that were beaten especially the Italian and Russian competitors who are quoted of saying “For me she is not a woman,” Furthermore it is offensive, hurtful and humiliating to a young superb athlete of this calibre, who has outrun her rivals in a world champoinship by over two seconds, when normally the difference between the first three is 100th of a second. The IAAF has certainly let this athlete down.

For more Zapiro cartoons visit www.zapiro.com

Almost everything about the issue is fuzzy: Where does one draw the biological line between male and female, exactly what standard is used by the track authorities in deeming a female ineligible to compete as a woman, precisely what tests answer such questions. The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) has asked for reports that will take weeks to review - from a gynecologist, an endocrinologist, a psychologist, a specialist in internal medicine and a gender expert.

Back in December 2007, when Zuma swept through like a wave and won the bitter electoral battle for ANC supremacy at Polekwani, this was considered at that time by political commentators and academics alike as the “Zuma Tzunami”.

In April 2009 at a meeting at UCT, Julius Malema was quoted as saying “Jacob Zuma is unstoppable. Zuma is a biological tsunami.”

In the run up to the South African Presidential elections, Zuma made promises to everybody from foreign investors to millions of poor blacks living in shanty towns in his quest for votes & popularity.

South Africa is now in the grip of its first recession for 20 years and the people in the townships are complaining that after 15 years of ANC rule they still don’t have basic housing, electricity or water.

The “Zuma Tzunami” wave may still come back to drown him. Zapiro’s cartoon of the 23rd July 2009 in The Times illustrates this graphically.

For more Zapiro cartoons visit http://www.zapiro.com

This week saw the official hand over of responsibilities for fighting political corruption in South Africa from the “old” Scorpions to the “new” Hawks. Will the Hawks succeed where the Scorpions failed? What is the difference between the two organisations?

“The Scorpions” was an elite anti-corruption squad falling under the prosecuting authority, not the police - set up by Thabo Mbeki when he came to power in 1999 to tackle organized crime, corruption and complex commercial cases. However it soon got the reputation of being a tool that Mbeki could use against his political opponents in an environment of conspiracy theories. Namely the Scorpions played an important role in the National Prosecuting Authorty’ s case against Jacob Zuma and when the pendulum swung at the Polokwane in December 2006, it was only a matter of time that the Scorpions would be disbanded by the new powers to be.

Initially called Directorate for Priority Crimes Investigation (DPCI) nicked named DIPSI in Zapiro’s cartoon of the 24th May 2009 in the Sunday Times

It has now been renamed “The Hawks” reporting to the Minister of Police, Nathi Mthethwa who has appointed the relatively unknown former deputy provincial police commissioner in the Western Cape and former Robben Islander, Anwar Dramat as head of the unit of 800 former Scorpions investigators, police officers from the crime intelligence unit as well as officers from the South African Revenue Services’ fraud department. At the launch the Minister of Police is reported to having said “We’re not only launching a new directorate but we’re also witnessing the first flight of the Hawks. As the birds, the Hawks will have an eye for detail and be able to see from afar. We expect them to zoom in on illegal networks” resulting in Zapiro’s cartoon of the 9th July 2009 in The Times

So will the Hawks be watchdog or lapdog?

For more Zapiro cartoons, visit http://www.zapiro.com

We all thought that the “PdV” acronym stood for Peter de Villiers, South Africans current rugby coach. Since last week-end, PdV has a new significance - Public defender for Villains (on the rugby field). Schalk Burger normally a magnificent tough but fair rugby player let the South African rugby fans down by his behavior on the field and has made the series victory over the B&I Lions a little hollow but what made it worse was the blind defence from Peter de Villiers over the incident and the way he went about it after the match. While most observers, including Springbok supporters were shocked at the incident, PdV reacted differently - “I don’t believe it was a card at all,” De Villiers said after the Springboks’ series clinching but extremely narrow victory. What would have happened if Schalk had been handed a red card and the Springboks had to play with 14 men for 79 minutes? Would the result have been the same?

Zapiro’s cartoon of the 2nd July 2009 in the Times says it all

For more Zapiro cartoons visit http://www.zapiro.com

Eccentric, controversial to say the least but does anybody really know what made Michael Jackson tick. He had an enormous amount of musical talent, which shot him to the top of pop music world in the 80’s and helped him build a large fortune. Michael Jackson paid several visits to South Africa, even singing Happy Birthday to Madiba. His fans remained loyal to the end. You either loved him or you hated him but there is no doubt especially in the latter part that Michael Jackson’s life was characterised by odd behavior, unusual relationships, extensive plastic surgery, financial debts caused by uncontrolled spending sprees, overuse of prescription drugs and child molestation trials. At the end, was he in control of his life or was he under the influence of those doctors and promoters, who surrounded him?

So who was the real Michael Jackson? - composer, song-writer, singer, choreographer, a really down-to-earth human being, a nice person, courteous, humble, generous, giving, loving, amazing, extraordinary, unique OR a perverted child molester?

Is Zapiro’s cartoon published on the 3rd Match 2005 in the Sowetan unfair to the memory of Michael Jackson or did it reflect the world’s perception at that moment in time?

To see more cartoons visit www.zapiro.com

Gwede Mantashe (ANC Secretary-General) or Jacob Zuma (President of South Africa)? Luthuli House - Headquarters of the ANC or the Union buidings seat of government ?

It has been reported recently in the South African press that increasingly, decisions and meetings which should be managed by those in charge at the Union Buildings are taking place at Luthuli House. This raises the question of who is actually in charge?

Concerning government policy, Zapiro’s cartoon in the Times on the 16th June 2009 shows Gwede driving a car in the front seat, complimenting “his child” Zuma in the baby seat in the back and telling him that real drivers need to indicate, whether they are going left or right.

For more Zapiro cartoons visit www.zapiro.com

We are a year away from the start of the FIFA 2010 World Cup but Is the Bafana Bafana team ready to take on the big boys? Well those who watched Sunday’s opening match against the Asian champions Iraq will come away disappointed. South Africa missed three relatively easy chances to create a goal to beat the no 86 in the world especially when Bernard Parker acted in defence rather than in attack. Would a higher bonus offer have changed the result?
Zapiro’s cartoon of the 11th March 2009 in The Times, shows Danny Jordaan dismayed at Bafana Bafana’s ludicrous and greedy demand for SAR 34 million as a cash incentive to perform in the tournament.
For more Zapiro cartoons visit www.zapiro.com

Is the recent criticism of Zapiro’s cartoon on the South African elections by Annar Cassam (a Tanzanian, who was formerly director of the UNESCO Bureau at the UN Office in Geneva and consultant at UNESCO/PEER Nairobi.) valid?

The cartoon that Cassim has an issue with is the cartoon published in the Mail & Guardian on the 23rd April 2009, showing what lies ahead for the majority of voters who queued up to vote for the ANC because of what the leadership – here symbolized by the snake’s head – has promised them. She argues that Zapiro’s cartoon makes a mockery of the aspirations of impoverished voters,. She feels for Zapiro to trash and mock this memory of that first voting day of his country’s first democratic elections is an extraordinarily cheap act of contempt. And the contempt is aimed not just at the 2009 elections, the ANC and its leadership, it is above all aimed at the millions of voters who queued, as they have done every five years since 1994, to vote for a better life in their country. She continues to say that the venom in the cartoon makes a mockery of them and their aspirations and shows how much ‘prejudice and hate’ is expressed under cover of the freedom of expression by such cartoonists as Zapiro.

During the election campaign, the ANC like nearly all political parties have made promises in order to attract voters and especially those poor impoverished voters. The election process was peaceful and democratic despite the voters having to be patient by waiting in long queues. Now the ANC have been voted in by an overwhelming majority, they will need to deliver. Looking at the track record of the prior 15 years of ANC rule, this certainly has not always been the case. In 1994, the ANC was the champion of human rights, there was hope that South Africa would become a fairer, more equal and more caring society. In its own review, the ANC government acknowledged that half the population – 22 million out of 44 million – lived in abject poverty. Political power struggles, reports of corruption and the enrichment of the narrow politically-connected elite have become the order of the day

Zapiro sees himself as a graphical political commentator interpreting events as they happen. His cartoons over the years have been critical of all political parties especially when there are contradictions in their actions and their policies. This cartoon illustrates that South Africa remains a democracy through its election process with the snaking queues of patient voters and warns that it is always easier to make promises than implementing them.

One may agree or disagree with Zapiro, but at no stage is there any hate or cheap mockery on the down-trodden in this cartoon as suggested by Annar Cassam. Examine it and decide for yourself.

For more Zapiro cartoons on the South African elections link to http://www.zapiro.com.
If you wish to order an ebook version of the A-Z of the 2009 elections click HERE