I read a very interesting story on Thought Leader saying Zapiro went too far with a cartoon in the Sunday Times showing Zuma supporters holding down a woman symbolising the justice system and Zuma unbuttoning his pants while being told to “go for it.”
“While Zapiro is entitled to use the metaphor of rape to highlight local misgivings concerning the attack on the criminal justice system, it is in light of JZ’s acquittal for rape tantamount to a rejection of the findings of a judge operating within the system he seeks to protect,” writes blogger Mike Trapido.
It gave me pause for thought, but only for a second, because the metaphor used here does not suggest Zuma being guilty of raping an individual, but rather suggests his allies are guilty of raping our legal system through the systematic attempted manipulation and intimidation of our courts. Zuma, through inaction, gives his blessing.
Zapiro asks how far will Zuma and his allies go in undermining our legal system for self gain and then suggests the answer. It is a legitimate if shocking comment on the current state of power politics in the country.
The question I find myself asking is has he gone far enough to shocking South Africa out of its comfortable complacency?
I’m with you Mark. @Abe, Zapiro’s job, as you put it, is not to “sort out the problem”. Its the awareness end of the issue that is his remit, and the complacent masses are his target. He is a satirical filter for what is happening in this country.
Its not his portrayal of the situation that is shocking, but the actions of the protagonists that the elements of this cartoon are based upon. During Apartheid the media was gagged and people had to turn to rioting to make their point. Lets not go back there.