A Coloured president

Word from the ten-year-olds

‘A Coloured President’
This is the title of a poster on a lamppost.
‘A coloured president’ K reads aloud. What is that about?
It is advertising a show by comedian Carvin Goldstone.
Mm well the White presidents were awful, the Black presidents aren’t turning out to be much good so maybe it is time for a Coloured president.
And then an Indian, remarks S

Or perhaps a woman, say I.
Yes, they both say.
Brazil has a woman president’ says S.
Is she any good? Asks K.
Don’t know. Can’t be any worse than the men.
Why is Jacob Zuma still the president and why do we have to pay for his house?
Well the ANC chose him to be the president for another 5 years. It is normal for taxpayers to pay for the president’s official houses but people are complaining about paying for improvements to his private house.
What would happen if people went to Nkandla and said “We are tired of you spending our money on your house”?
The bodyguards wouldn’t let them in.
What if the people were more than the bodyguards?
They would get arrested by the police.
What if a lot of people went?
Then a lot of people would get arrested.
What if the police agreed with them?
Then the president’s bodyguards would call the army.
Then what if more people came and some of the army agreed.
Then I guess there would be an attempted coup – that is when someone takes over the government by seizing important places and capturing the leaders. That happens in a lot of places when people think their governments aren’t listening to them or are wasting money or treating people badly.

What do presidents do when they retire?

Well they get a big pension and lots of benefits so that they can live in comfort.

Why doesn’t Jacob Zuma just retire then?

The poster for Carvin Goldstone’s one-man, family comedy show, Coloured President, which sparked the conversation about race, gender and heads of state.