When the going gets tough, the media steps in. President Zuma’s State visit to the UK has been met with a frosty reception.

UK tabloids have had a field day calling Zuma a “sex-obsessed bigot” and a “vile buffoon” with accompanying pictures of him in traditional Zulu attire. With continued rumblings on breaches of royal etiquette, and mention of an “unusual double handshake“, the publication complained that the men in the Zuma entourage had wandered around Buckingham Palace wearing “football-style scarves in the South African colours over their suits, the women chatted noisily on their mobile phones and used them to take pictures of the furnishings”. Now I find this quite amusing I can picture the scene…………

But it seems that the South African media has taken exception to the barrage of insults and blatant attacks on the President’s lifestyle.

Business Day’s Peter Bruce’s found it “appalling” to watch Zuma’s reception from sections of the British media.

“The British body politic is without peer when it comes to sex scandals and moral or financial hypocrisy and the sight of leading British newspapers having a go at Zuma for his lapses of virtue is sickening.”

Ok, now I like this one-

Bruce said life in SA under Zuma was “trust us, a lot better than in the UK” and that even if he was imperfect or may be a lousy leader, “he’s our lousy leader. We’ll deal with him. When UK politicians visit here we’ll be sure to treat them with respect.”

That is precisely it, although Zuma is far from perfect and has a lifestyle that will make Tiger Woods blush, he is our President and although some of the comments are valid, I find it heartwarming that South Africa has united to support our President who is so out of his element right now…ag shame man.

In conclusion: What this country needs, is a cause/event/ leader – whichever comes first- that would inspire us to unite, black, white, young and old, something that makes us proud to be South African. I suppose when one of us gets “Hauled over the coals” like that and in a foreign country nogal, our protective instincts kick in and we become a supportive nation. Why can we not be a supportive nation all the time? That’s something to bear in mind if we ever want this country to progress to the next level, stop the nitpicking amongst ourselves and look at the country and its people as a whole.

By: Kerry

Reference: News24.com