Jacob Zuma was brought close to tears after a surprise visit to the Sweetwaters informal settlement in Johannesburg on Monday. He expressed his despair, shock and utter surprise to learn that there are citizens living within a stone throw of our cities in conditions of miserable squalor. Right, so where have you been for the past 15 years El Presidente? Sure, living the high life sponsored by your friend Schabir Shaik has blinded you to the perils of our people, but as a democratically elected (whatever that means) president of South Africa, surely you had some clue that not all is rosy and Fifa-World-Cuppy? Even Sepp Blatter is not this ignorant!

The truth is I am not entirely surprised though. JZ is the most well protected president in South African history. He enjoys a security detail that rivals that of Barack Obama, is sped around in flash armored cars that were once designed by Nazis; and has anyone flashing dissenting digits questioned covertly by the SAPS secret service division. One gets the sense Jacob Zuma isn't exactly just excessively protected, but rather being kept out of the loop...

Jacob Zuma is the third (well fourth if you consider Kgalema's seatwarming stint in any way genuine) generation post-apartheid president. One would think the excuse of blaming a regime that's been vanquished to the dusty confines of the museum of evil pasts is getting a bit old now. Just a tad.