And I'm not referring to him escaping the lethal virus by hopping into the shower after intercourse, but his expertise at avoiding the long arm of the law.
Now it seems his namesake, Police General Bethuel Zuma, has been blessed with the same talent.
On Tuesday the Pietermaritzburg Magistrate's Court dismissed charges of drunken driving and defeating the ends of justice against him. Bethuel, who was the most short lived police chief of all time because of the case against him, allegedly failed a roadside alcohol test, but then apparently managed to avoid a blood alcohol test by fleeing into a house and hiding from the police. Innocent as charged... maybe he will still make it to the top of the police in Gauteng?
But our Prez is still Number One at slipping through the loopholes provided by the law. Up till now the president has been able to dodge all the legal bullets connected to the arms deal; he has avoided handing over the so-called espionage tapes; and officialdom has been blamed for the Gupta landing at Waterkloof. For a while Schabir Shaik took the flack for the arms deal, but if you have the right brothers in arms 'for a while' is the operative term.
Now the country faces Nkandla - singled out by some as the biggest political and ethical crisis Zuma has had to face. I can only sympathise. Think of all the pressure he was under when it came to the renovations having to please all his wives!
Nevertheless, I am willing to bet all my meagre worldly goods that Zuma will also survive this latest onslaught levelled at his political career. On Tuesday ANC secretary General Gwede Mantashe challenged the Public Protector Thuli Madonsela to release the entire Nkandla report and demanded that she answer and provide proof to some 'niggling' questions including:
- Did Zuma ask for the security upgrades at his homestead?
- Did he ask for and spend more than R200-million?
- Did he ask for a swimming pool, kraal and the relocation of his wife's tuck shop?
- Did he ask for bulletproof windows?
- What has been built on government property?
- Did Zuma take the decisions?
- If not, who took these decisions?
- How much was spent on security - how does this compare to the security costs of other (SA?) presidents?
Madonsela is being blamed for the leaking of the report, but some legal experts have already stated that the 'leaking' could be in Zuma's favour as it could compromise the report in its entirety - don't ask me how, but that's apparently how the law works.
Then, if the Public Protector can find no cut and dried evidence that Zuma requested the upgrades, who will be the scapegoat? Who will be the loyal serf taking the fall? No one knows, but then again - being a scapegoat if you're still able to play golf and shop to your heart's delight, is not such a bad deal after all.
The expression 'the law is an ass' was not coined for nothing and Zuma's talent for dragging out cases and getting off on technical points makes Harry Houdini look like an amateur. And while our chameleon-like president still has the overwhelming support of those in cabinet, his bag of tricks is nowhere near empty.
If I was Julius Malema, I would be scared, very scared indeed.
BY ILSE SCHOONRAAD, GEORGE HERALD EDITOR
'We bring you the latest George | Garden Route news'
