A weekend newspaper cartoon depicting the head of South Africa's ruling African National Congress (ANC), Jacob Zuma, unbuckling his trousers allegedly to rape justice has sparked the ire of the party and its allies -- the South African Communist Party and the ANC Youth League, according news reports.
According to Agence France-Presse (AFP), the Sunday Times cartoon showed Zuma, who is fighting to have his corruption case thrown out of court, pulling open his trousers while the ANC and its political allies pinned down a blindfolded woman labelled as the "Justice System." "Go for it, boss," ANC secretary general Gwede Mantashe was quoted as saying in the cartoon by Jonathan Shapiro whose pen name is "Zapiro."
South African newspapers on Tuesday carried angry reactions from the ANC and its allies, the South African Communist Party, the ANC Youth League and the COSATU labour federation, all featured in the cartoon. The groups slammed the cartoon, saying that it "borders on defamation of character."
"The cartoon rubbishes the collective integrity of the alliance and constitutes yet another continued violation of the rights and dignity of the ANC president," said the allies in a joint statement. The COSATU said the cartoon implied, and sought to reinforce, the view that Zuma was a rapist despite having been found not guilty of a rape charge in 2006. The ANC and its allies have recently launched verbal attacks on the judiciary over Zuma's corruption trial, calling its judges "reactionary" and "politicians."
An Associated Press (AP) report gave some backgrounder:
ANC leader Jacob Zuma was acquitted of rape in 2006. But the Times said Tuesday the cartoon was a comment on accusations Zuma was undermining justice with a protest campaign to have corruption charges against him dropped.
Zuma's trial was expected to start later this year, complicating his likely 2009 bid for the nation's presidency.
