Disgust at Zuma 'rape' cartoon

2008-09-08 16:08

Johannesburg - The Congress of SA Trade Unions expressed disgust on Monday at a "defamatory" weekend cartoon suggesting ruling party leader Jacob Zuma was ready to rape the justice system.

"While we accept that cartoonists have the licence to express controversial views, yesterday's (Sunday's) cartoon is in extremely bad taste and goes way beyond limits of acceptability," Cosatu spokesperson Patrick Craven said in a statement.

The cartoon by Jonathan Shapiro, known as Zapiro, appeared in the Sunday Times newspaper.

It shows a woman, wearing a sash with the words "Justice System", being pinned down by African National Congress Youth League president Julius Malema and the secretaries general of the ANC, SA Communist Party and Cosatu - Gwede Mantashe, Blade Nzimande and Zwelinzima Vavi.

Zuma looks on while unzipping his pants, with Mantashe urging him to "Go for it, boss!".

Cosatu said the cartoon implied that Zuma is a rapist.

"It is thus highly defamatory and was clearly intended to poison the minds of the readers against the ANC president and support the campaign to discredit and depose him.

"Secondly, the use of a woman who is about to be raped to represent the justice system is grossly insensitive in the context of a crisis of rape and violence against women.

We demand that the Sunday Times publish an apology," said Craven.

Sunday Times editor Mondli Makhanya was not immediately available for comment.

- SAPA