The Point reckons Kgalema Mothlanthe must have peeved someone off. It could have been Msholozi, but secretly I'm putting my money on Baby Juju. Of all of South Africa's politicians, he may have had the toughest week.

Ah yes, I know what you're thinking: what about the disappointing reviews His Royal Highness JZ got for his first year in office and what about Malemamunchkin's tussle with the big boys in the ANC?

Admittedly, neither sounds fun, but which of the following would you like least?

• Facing the wrath of the not-so-mighty opposition.


• Facing the not-so-strict ANC disciplinary committee.


• Explaining to Parliament how a new method of circumcision works.

Thought so.

Motlanthe tackled it bravely, if a little incoherently:

"Er, it... you fit... it's a simple procedure... you fit this into the plastic gadget... and two clicking sounds happen. And this plastic device knows exactly where to prune! And you keep it on for three days. And you can go to school, you can go to work, you are able to urinate; and, after three days, you report back to the clinic and you're healed, and you're fine."

Hmm? this? Perhaps the explanation worked a little better with actions. Either way it'll take a brave man to click on that little plastic device.

Things were a lot less awkward for Zuma. Sure, the Zillenator was nagging a little more than usual and Patricia was rambling on about ethics? but it's all really just a day in the life of the president.

The Zillenator cut straight to the chase.

"He has failed to lead for two inter-connected reasons: he does not appear to understand the core issues at stake, and he fails to see the contradiction between what he says and what he does."

Yip, or he simply does not care.

Taking no chances, Patricia de Lille laid it out pretty plainly: "It is not good for a president to break the law when he is at the same time making noises about bad governance and corruption."

Like? duh!

"His comment that Chancellor House has not broken any laws shows that he is a president who puts opportunism before ethics. Instead of providing the kind of ethical leadership one would expect from a president, Zuma hides behind his own questionable and opportunistic interpretation of the law."

Zuma ethics. Now there's an oxymoron.

AND JUST PLAIN OLD MORONS

Julius Malema. Now there's an oxymoron. Minus the oxy part. Proving to the nation that the ANC's spine is made of putty, the 'disciplinary committee' dished out some wrist slapping this week, before high-fiving themselves for resolving such a tricky situation.

Although Malema has been chastised and made to apologise to His Royal Highness, he was anything but deferential a few days before his hearing. He took a dig at the ANC leadership (yes, read Gwede Mantashe):

"All leaders of the ANC will come and go. Those who see us as a threat to their positions have no right to threaten us with possible expulsions from the movement. The movement remains in the hands of the memberships."

The Point finds a strange sense of comfort in those words. Indeed, all leaders of the ANC will come and go. Only a few of them will refer to themselves in the plural.

Malemamunchkin also had a go at JZ. Covertly, of course.

"It can never be permanently correct that men have the liberty to have as many sexual partners, when women are demonised in engaging in such practices. Multisexual relationships will be discouraged, not only among the youth, but among all South Africans because the scourge of HIV and Aids impacted all of us, irrespective of gender, culture and age."

Hmm? perhaps someone should explain to young Julius what 'multisexual' means. I, for one, suggest Kgalema. He has such a way with words...

Of course, the opposition had some stuff to say. The Point enjoyed the contribution from the DA youth leader Khume Ramulifho.

"The ANC has made it clear that democratic principles such as freedom of expression, the rule of law and democracy count for nothing when compared to deference and obsequiousness, on which the ruling party clearly places a far greater emphasis.

"And so, never mind the rule of law, never mind freedom of expression, it [the slight directed at Zuma] had to be dealt with. Because there is one thing a nationalist party cannot survive without, and that is deference towards its leaders.

"In doing so, the ANC sacrificed democratic principle on the altar of egoism, to the detriment of its own reputation."

There are at least five words in that retort that the chaps at the ANCYL will need to look up in a dictionary. Democracy is one of them.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

And finally, the quote of the week goes to Johannesburg metro police chief Chris Ngcobo who, in response to a complaint about metro police officers sitting under trees when they should be working, said:

"Sometimes Members of Parliament and councillors see the cars, but they have no total picture of the decision we took as commanders. We have speed section people who work under trees. They sit there and hide the camera. That is their job. That is the brief we give them."

Oh, well, in that case...

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