How can we claim to be living in a democratic South Africa when one man appears to be living above the law?
Yes, I am referring to former president Jacob Zuma who should have been in jail for his total disregard for the laws that we are all governed by here in South Africa.
What was even more frustrating is watching what is happening in Nkandla with thousands of Zuma supporters gathering in the middle of the pandemic.
Mr Zuma says he can’t be blamed for this but it’s his son who publicly said he was going to get his father’s supporters to come out, so basically he’s hosted the event.
The majority were not wearing masks and there was no sanitising or social distancing to speak of.
Yet, despite the large police contingent, nothing was done to break up this gathering of over 6000 people.
In the meantime, President Cyril Ramaphosa has cancelled all other gatherings – indoors and outdoors – literally killing off the last hope of the entire entertainment industry in one fell swoop and causing instant debt for many who have invested in their events over these two weeks of lockdown level 4.
I am sure many artists looked at the gathering outside Mr Zuma’s home over the past few days and thought, surely their own small events would have posed far less of a risk in spreading Covid-19.
We are all looking to the president and the police to uphold the law but nobody is being arrested or being held accountable for endangering all of our lives at Nkandla.
I have seen people go to jail for stealing a blade, and in this pandemic, not too long ago, I saw headlines saying a taxi driver was arrested for driving passengers after testing positive for Covid, and he was charged with attempted murder.
Yet, the powers that be have come up with all kinds of excuses not to do their job in Nkandla.
Police Minister Bheki Cele has since defended his cops, saying there were more than 100 armed people in attendance outside Zuma’s house.
He said the officers were not scared, but they were drawing on lessons from the Marikana massacre.
What happened at Nkandla does not set a good example to the nation.
This can cause civil unrest and lead to a total disregard of the government and the law, because why should I cancel an event that only accommodates 50 people while following all protocols, when thousands of people can flout the law in Nkandla?
This is hypocrisy and cowardly.
Somebody should be held accountable and the point must be made that nobody is above the law, otherwise quite frankly we will end up with super-spreaders all over the show.
I am gutted by what’s happening in our country and ashamed to see how little care is being shown to the arts and hospitality sector, while people like Zuma and his supporters do as they please.
Initially I thought for sure that Cyril’s legacy would be that he saved us from the pandemic but now it seems he might just be the death of these two industries.
And now because of the situation in Nkandla, I feel they should relook at the law of no gatherings during this pandemic, even if it’s just for work purposes and to create an income.
People are gathering regardless, it’s unorganised and uncontrolled.
Live streaming is also not going to be able to save the entertainment industry because online sales is dropping, and there is so much else that we are competing with online.
Also, it will never replace an actual social experience.
I am disheartened and disappointed by the Nkandla situation.
One of the reasons we accept and respect what Cyril says when he calls a family meeting is because we realise we are all in this pandemic together and have to overcome it together but it no longer seems that way.
Keep this up and government can expect protests to follow, and the loudest voices in the crowds will be those of the live performance artists.
dailyvoice@inl.co.za