Judging by the requests for more good news in the George Herald, it seems that many of our readers are punch drunk from the deluge of bad news that flies across the news wires day in and day out, 365 days a year.
Surprisingly, as a news person, I have lots of empathy as I am also starting to feel the effect of the abundance of negativity permeating not only South Africa, but the entire world.
But as news hounds we have to ask for your empathy, because as hard as we may try, good news hardly ever presents itself.
Here's the first example of potentially good news 'gone bad'.
As I am writing this (Tuesday morning 3 March) President Jacob Zuma will be facing a motion of no confidence in the national assembly in just a few hours' time. Good news, right? Don't get too excited. Except for those whose continued wellbeing depends on their proximity to number 1, I doubt it will be good news. Due to my deadline I unfortunately cannot wait for the predictable outcome before putting pen to paper, but all indications are that the motion is a waste of time.
The motion was tabled by Agang who has only two seats in the national assembly compared to the ANC's 249. Even if all the political opposition MPs gang up against Zuma, they will still only have 151 votes. Although you just need a majority vote - more than 50% of MPs - instead of the usual two thirds to get rid of the president, at least 50 ANC MPs will have to vote against their leader. This will never happen as 'confidence' in Zuma will be shown by open vote and not secret ballot. Bad, bad news.
On 11 March our president is supposed to answer oral questions in Parliament, inclu-ding the likes of ,"When are you going to pay back the money?", but a true chess master, our Nkandla king has sidestepped a complete Q and A session once again. The president has only agreed to answer six oral questions and this will not include any that was asked on 21 August 2014.
So once again some burning issues will disappear in a puff of smoke.
This is the rumour: Somewhere in March, possibly today or on 11 March, President Jacob Zuma is going to announce his resignation as the president of South Africa due to ill health and retire to Nkandla, with what dignity he has left, intact.
Word is (I call it wishful thinking) that prominent, connected and influential businessmen are starting to feel the negative effect of his presidency on their own wallets and they have applied pressure on the ANC to have him replaced with someone who will inspire investor confidence in the country.
Apparently he has been offered and has accepted a deal that is too good to resist. The deal includes a blanket amnesty from pro-secution that will make all those niggly little questions about the arms deal and Nkandla (to mention a few) go away.
Now that is what I call good news.
But first it has to happen and in this case no news is not good news.
A scary eye opener
President Jacob Zuma is responsible for:- Appointing the Cabinet;
- Appointing judges after consulting with the Judicial Services Commission;
- Appointing the Public Protector, the Auditor-General and members of the various Commissions on the recommendation of Parliament;
- Appointing the Military Command of the Defence Force;
- Appointing commissions of inquiry;
- Assenting to and signing Bills passed by Parliament so that they can become laws, or referring Bills back to the National Assembly or to the Constitutional Court if there are concerns over their constitutionality;
- Calling special sittings of the Houses of Parliament;
- Calling a national referendum;
- Receiving foreign diplomats;
- Designating South Africa's representatives abroad;
- Conferring honours;
- Pardoning or reprieving offenders; and
- Declaring a "state of national defence" with the approval of Parliament
BY ILSE SCHOONRAAD, GEORGE HERALD EDITOR
