ZUMA FINALLY BELTS UP!

PRESIDENT DROPS REMAINING CHARGES

In a brief announcement by his spokesperson Mac Maharaj on May 31st, President Jacob Zuma made it known that he is to drop all remaining defamation charges against various media entities.

This follows last October's withdrawal of charges in Zuma's high profile case against cartoonist Zapiro.

The latest decision was made in the interests of nation building, said the statement, but legal experts have suggested that the President would have risked more collatoral damage if he were to persue the cases than anything he had to gain.

While Africartoons welcomes the news which we felt was inevitable, we remain cautious.

Threats of an Anti-insult Law ('to protect the dignity of the presidency'), the state's commitment to the Secrecy Bill, and other measures aimed against free expression are evidence enough that this development does not signify a positive change in direction by the government. [READ ON]

MEDIA24 REPORTS:
"In consultation with his legal team, President Zuma has elected to withdraw his claims against the various entities and in so doing bring these matters to a close, mindful as he is that much of the litigation commenced before the president assumed office," Mac Maharaj said.

The material, from 2006 to 2010, prompted Zuma to institute legal action against various media groups and individuals associated with them.

But now he felt "that measured as against the broader national interest and challenges which the country is faced with, his personal sentiments, however aggrieved he may feel, must give way".

Maharaj said Zuma had considered the cartoons and articles defamatory or calculated to "bring his good name, and in some instances the office of the president, into disrepute".

In some instances they sought to cast African males in a particularly negative light with "bigoted and racist overtones and innuendo".

Maharaj said the decision was "informed by the broader agenda of reconciliation and nation building".

The president intended redressing prejudice and inequality through government-led programmes and forging better working relationships with like-minded interest groups.

In October Zuma dropped his R5m claim for defamation for cartoonist Jonathan "Zapiro" Shapiro's "Lady Justice" cartoon.

It depicts Zuma loosening his trousers while "Lady Justice" is pinned down by since expelled African National Congress Youth League president Julius Malema, Congress of SA Trade Unions general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi, SA Communist Party general secretary Blade Nzimande and ANC Secretary General Gwede Mantashe, all saying: "Go for it, boss".

Posted on May 31, 2013 by Africartoons