I am so ecstatic to hear that Comrade President Jacob Zuma is considering suing ‘cartoonist’ Zapiro. I used to be a great fan of Zapiro, however, his commentary has recently become malicious and biased attack on the President of the ANC. There are four particular issues which I am uneasy with in relation to Zapiro’s cartoon, which depicts Jacob Zuma (as well as the leaders of COSATU, the SACP, and the ANCYL) about to “rape justice”:
1) Rape in South Africa. 2) Freedom of Speech and Expression (Rights & Responsibilities). 3) The Zuma Rape Trial. 4) Innocent until proven guilty. Firstly, as we all are quite aware, rape has reached endemic proportions in SA, and given the very nature of the crime, I would think that the portrayal of rape (in any humorous fashion or media) would be treated by South Africans as abhorrent. Rape is no laughing matter; this is evidenced in the work of many South African comedians. South African comedians will often use theft, politics, race, and other social phenomenon as cannon fodder for their acts. However, to my knowledge, rape is never made light of, nor is it used as subject matter for jokes - which I concur with. The very nature of rape necessitates it being one of the most vile and dehumanizing acts which individuals can perpetuate against one another, ergo, I would presume that any attempt to portray rape in a cartoon (which are not only social commentaries, but more importantly, lend themselves to humor) be treated with disdain, out of respect for those individuals who are rape victims. Concordantly, portraying rape in a cartoon - regardless of whoever the actors and/or instigators in the depiction are - is a no go zone. Secondly, Zapiro and his proponents have used the, "Right to freedom of expression and speech", as enshrined in our constitution to -in a manner of speaking- to defend his illustration. However, we are all aware, that in our Bill of Rights, our responsibilities in relation to our rights are also explicitly stated. We have the right to freedom of speech and expression, but we also have the responsibility to ensure that that these rights do not infringe, impinge, or impede the rights of others. Zapiro’s cartoon is a direct attack on Zuma, and in this regard, Zapiro uses puerile slander and defamation to elucidate his personal views and perceptions. Irrevocably, one cannot forget that Zuma also has the right to a fair trial - a trial conducted by our courts, not the media nor the whimsical fancies of individuals. Thirdly, Zuma was judged fairly and accordingly in a court of law to be innocent of an accused rape. In the spirit of democracy and justice, if we are also to claim to be law-abiding citizens then we to must respect the decisions reached by our courts and judiciary. Zapiro's depiction that Zuma was about to 'rape the justice system' is a direct intimation of his accused rape - of which he is judged to be innocent of. Thus, any linking of Zuma to rape without the evidentiary proof is simply defamatory slander and completely irresponsible. I ask that you put yourself in Zuma’s shoes. How would you feel if you were acquitted of a crime but yet you were perceived guilty by everyone else – how would you feel? We cannot continue to hold 'rape' over an innocent man's head, for that would be a greater injustice to the spirit of our democracy. Fourthly, one of the cornerstone principals of justice is that we are innocent until proven guilty. His cartoon was drawn and published prior to the Zuma judgment being made - this violates Zuma's right to a free and fair trial without prejudice. Zapiro had judged Zuma without warrant or reason. Keep in mind it is not the job of cartoonists who have access to the national media to judge Zuma, that is the responsibility of our judiciary. We cannot allow the the recent trend of trial-by-media to become the norm in our country. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You are subscribed. This footer can help you. Please POST your comments to [email protected] or reply to this message. You can visit the group WEB SITE at http://groups.google.com/group/yclsa-eom-forum for different delivery options, pages, files and membership. To UNSUBSCRIBE, please email [email protected] . You don't have to put anything in the "Subject:" field. You don't have to put anything in the message part. All you have to do is to send an e-mail to this address (repeat): [email protected] . -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
