Jacob Zuma: Black Africans Who Own Dogs Trying to Copy White Culture, ‘Not African’ (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

South African president Jacob Zuma says black Africans who owns dogs are trying to copy the white culture.  Um, I see why he is the butt of jokes in his country. Er, whose culture is he imitating with the name JACOB? Funny he should mention the word ‘dog’ since his country’s anti-corruption watchdog has launched an investigation over the upgrade of his country home. I guess it looks so much better to have six wives and father 20 kids than to walk a dog. I know that is widely accepted in Africa, but it’s not favorably viewed in other places. In short, he’s pointing fingers at black African dog-owners, but many can point a finger right back to his lifestyle choices.

I believe Jacob Zuma should worry about the economic issues the country is grappling with such as high unemployment rates, high crime rates, including murder rates considered among the highest in the world.

The Mercury:  Spending money on buying a dog, taking it to the vet and for walks belonged to white culture and was not the African way, which was to focus on the family, President Jacob Zuma said in a speech in KwaZulu-Natal on Wednesday.

There was a new generation of young Africans who were trying to adopt other lifestyles and even trying to look like others, he said.

“Even if you apply any kind of lotion and straighten your hair you will never be white,” Zuma said.

[...]

In 2006, as the ANC deputy president, Zuma told an audience during Heritage Day celebrations in KwaDukuza in KwaZulu-Natal that when he was growing up “an ungqingili (gay person) would not have stood in front of me. I would knock him out.”

Jacob Zuma is one incredibly huge black mark on South Africa’s history and Nelson Mandela’s legacy. How could this man have been a credible choice for a party leader, much less the president of his country, harboring such reprehensible views?

Zwelinzima Vavi, leader of ANC alliance partner Cosatu, a trade union, tweeted the following:

As an animal lover & proudly black I don’t feel insulted by that comment – I do have compassion for humans too!! twitter.com/Zwelinzima1/st…

— Zwelinzima Vavi (@Zwelinzima1) December 27, 2012

More reaction from Twitter:

Zuma: “Dear whites, please don’t do black things. Dear blacks, please don’t do white things. Thanks!” bit.ly/UuAX6N #dogs

— Waldimar Pelser (@waldimar) December 27, 2012

Zuma says owning dogs is un-African. Unlike those old African traditions of owning German cars, Italian suits, and Irish whiskey.

— Tom Eaton (@TomEatonSA) December 27, 2012

Nelson Mandela with a dog:

@ewnupdates Please show Mr Zuma, young #Madiba showing care for a dog and let’s see what he says twitter.com/fanamokoena/st…

— QuantaByte ICT (@QuantaByteICT) December 27, 2012