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THE SMART NEWS SOURCE | Feb 10 2010 02:33 | LAST UPDATED Feb 10 2010 02:33 |
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Cartoonist Jonathan Shapiro, better known as Zapiro, has decided to temporarily detach the infamous shower from President Jacob Zuma's head. Shapiro's latest cartoon, published in Tuesday's edition of the daily newspaper, The Times, shows Zuma sitting at his presidential desk with a dripping shower positioned above, rather than on, his head. The shower, which has hitherto always been attached to Zuma's cranium, has the words "temporary suspension" tagged on it. "I thought I will take stock of where we are and give the presidency a chance to get going," Shapiro told the South African Press Association. "Despite my misgivings about Zuma and despite my belief that it was wrong for the ANC [African National Congress] to have him as its presidential candidate, we all have to take stock of the reality that he is president of the country. "So I said let's see if I can do a gradual change -- a little transition." Shapiro first used the shower image in 2006 after Zuma said during his rape trial that he had sought to prevent himself from contracting HIV by showering after having sex with his accuser. Since then Shapiro has used the shower to portray a whole range of meanings. "That shower has become far more than a reference to the ridiculous comment about HIV," Shapiro said.  CONTINUES BELOW "It has also become a reference to his tendency to say odd things and behave slightly weirdly." Zuma has had no mercy from Zapiro's pen. He was once depicted about to rape the female figure of Justice, while his political allies looked on. Zuma launched legal action over that cartoon. Shapiro said he had often come under intense political pressure to remove the shower from Zuma's head, but added that that was not the case this time. He said he made up his mind to raise the shower after experiencing the mood of optimism in the country since Zuma's inauguration. "On the morning of the inauguration, when I turned on the television, there was a sea of umbrellas. "It seemed like there would be a huge downpour during the inauguration, but it didn't work out like that. "Later on things became fairly sunny. I thought that was fairly symbolic," he said. Shapiro said he had by then already completed his drawing for the Sunday Times which showed Zuma trying to forcibly remove the apparatus from his head. "The punch line of that was 'try being truly presidential and maybe the shower will fall off by itself'," he said. Shapiro used the shower as a lamp during the African National Congress' Polokwane conference in 2007, when Zuma defeated Thabo Mbeki for the party's presidency. "I called it Polokwane power failures, which had a double meaning," he said, referring the power blackouts South Africa was experiencing at the time and the loss of power by Mbeki. He said his drawing on Tuesday had created an enormous amount of interest. He had been receiving calls all day from people worried that the shower head might get lost for good. Shapiro said he had been trying to have his satirical puppet show about South African politics broadcast, but that he had little hope for it. The show, he said, "may not be possible in this country at the moment". "The SABC [South African Broadcasting Corporation] commissioned a pilot which was meant to lead to a 12-part series, but it didn't follow through. "They have had very powerful people at the SABC who do not agree at all with the irreverence that we show towards politicians. "There is a big difference in the amount of freedom we have had in print media, and the amount on the airwaves, particularly at the SABC." As for his cartoons, which he publishes in different newspapers four times a week, Shapiro said he would soon start picking up more subjects, such as opposition political parties. "Even people that have been ANC supporters in the past [and are no longer] are not finding great replacements in the opposition," he said. "I don't particularly like any of them." Shapiro promised, however, that the shower would be back on Zuma's head if he did not measure up. "All it is a temporary change. If he doesn't perform or things go wrong, it will wang [sic] back on his head." -- Sapa TOPICS IN THIS ARTICLE
Comments
ahh...they've finally got to Zapiro too. It's really sad how people think the inauguration has wiped the national memory bank clean... the slate is still not clean. Not by a long shot. I say keep the shower on his head where it belongs!
Leon van Greunen on May 12, 2009, 4:58 pm
Jacob Zuma us our President so let us afford his office the dignity it deserves.
julian Knight on May 12, 2009, 5:07 pm
Jacob Zuma is our President so let us afford his office the dignity it deserves.
julian Knight on May 12, 2009, 5:08 pm
I have an idea, just swap the shower for 700 criminal dockets for graft and corruption. I think Zuma would ultimately ask to have the shower back.
Andrew Lawrence on May 12, 2009, 5:14 pm
Oh no, don't suspend the shower! In fact, can we get something for the ANC youth league and its leaders?
Maria
maria cesar on May 12, 2009, 5:39 pm
I have long maintained that Zapiro's career has been build on sensanalization that is rooted in racism than anything else! I mean from the Dr N.Mandela era to President Zuma this so-called cartoonist was spoken or mentioned when his has said something related to either President Mandela, President Mbeki,or most notably President Zuma!
If anyone out there can give me an instance where Zapiro provoked debates without using either of our presidents!I bet you none will be forthcoming! Who cares about his cartoons except racists alike black and white.
Tebogo Sebekedi on May 12, 2009, 6:05 pm
If I may preface this by saying I personally am strongly opposed to racism - all forms of bigotry. I ask this question of Shapiro because I am just curious. When is Shapiro going to satirize de Klerk and Elita Georgiades - the affair while the latter was still married to Tony? Or is it that his sense of "justice" and moral probity only gets energized only in connection with black people?
Mbenge
mbenge ziko on May 12, 2009, 6:14 pm
Zapiro's shower cartoon was funny 2years ago. However it has became irrelevant as he has decided to be more personal,childish and vindictive. His cartoon shower are now nothing but toilet humour as it is clear that he is driving a hate campaign against Zuma. He must decide whether he is a court jester or he is now wearing a political hat --- he can not continue hiding behind press freedom whilst he is in fact driving a political agenda, which is clearly an elitist agenda. He clearly despises the fact that Zuma is not a University graduate (unwashed Zulu herdboy) and a polygamist. Probably he would be singing his praises if he was a known whisky and cigar convert. History is on Zuma's side. Zapiro can draw as many shower heads as he likes, this will not sway the opinion of the multitudes that have faith in him. Or is it a penis envy syndrome Mr Zapiro? You then should seek help!
Nhlanhla Ngubane on May 12, 2009, 10:30 pm
I was disgusted to see Shapiro's cartoon on Sunday Times this past Sunday. I am not a big Zuma fan, but I respect the man because he is the president of the country. As well I think that the shower had that Zapiro has presented to us has reached it's sell by date. I am starting to think that he has a personal vendetta against Zuma, and also he has lost his creativity. Any satirist with a brain would have realised this a long time ago and moved on.
Tumelo Motlhabane on May 13, 2009, 8:54 am
remove it let us give him time, if he does not perform it comes back.
Buyisiwe Buthelezi on May 14, 2009, 12:47 pm
Yes. The shower is a bit old now.
Replace it with a dark cloud. A dark rain cloud with occasional showers.
Andy N on May 14, 2009, 1:48 pm
Frankly, the shower joke has become stale, overworked, and very unfunny. There were 1,500 pages of testimony at the trial, but much of the superficial media coverage has focused on a single response to a single question. Judge van der Merwe wrote a 180-page verdict and found Zuma not guilty. That is a fact. The verdict was based on the likelihood that the act was consensual, and on distrust of the complainant's testimony due to her previous sexual history. Though it was not the basis of the defense case, there were hints during the trial to the effect that Zuma was set up by his enemies in the ANC. Zapiro's persistence with his childish, sick, and stupid joke is more likely to gain sympathy for Zuma than to have the opposite effect.
Charles Skeen on May 26, 2009, 8:51 pm
I am no fan of the man, but it is a bit below the belt and unbecoming of a serious political satirist.
On the other hand, South Africans must accept that democracy is not easy. It’s the most advanced governance system in the world. If you subscribe to it, it can't be subscribed to in half measures. You should be equally prepared to defend your right to hold a view with another's right to differ with it. Free speech is free speech, however offensive it may be. Our independent judiciary is there to judge whether it is slander or hate speech.
Stephan Riekert on May 27, 2009, 3:30 pm
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