In normal homes, children can be told to leave the living room for adults to have a decent, mature conversation. “In your room” suffices if a child is accustomed to a strong parental “no”, and they sulk all the way to the bedroom.  Not so with the ANC Youth League. It did a good job of yanking the president’s chain last week and left him with egg on his face.

Having invited the president to speak at the league’s congress, the youth did what children are good at — playing with adults. Like children who taunt an old man. Jacob Zuma allowed himself to be held to ransom by the league, which started its four-day elective meeting on the day meant to celebrate the brave youth of 1976.

The league has every right to hold a meeting on any day — including Youth Day. But it must be aware it should not complain when Afriforum youth braai a 515m long boerewors to get into the Guinness Book of Records on the same day.

The league was also within its rights to invite Mr Zuma to address its opening session. It is tradition in the ANC that the party president addresses conferences of leagues and alliance partners.

The onus was on Mr Zuma’s office to manage his diary so that he could attend the league’s meeting and, most importantly, be on time to address the official Youth Day rally in Orlando, Soweto.

Addressing both was logistically possible. The youth league’s meeting was supposed to start at 9am, and Mr Zuma could have left at noon — when the morning session was billed to end — and rushed to Orlando. That’s quite easy, considering that Johannesburg’s notorious traffic dies down on public holidays. His blue light entourage makes any traffic jam look like a breeze through a motorbike anyway. He also had the option of using the defence force helicopter he abused during the ANC’s local government election campaign.

Whoever planned his diary was reckless at best. ANC rallies never start on time. The league’s Midrand meeting started three hours late. But that was nothing compared to the 2008 Mangaung congress, which started very late. Mr Zuma was there, and he was made to wait as the league went about its business and started only when it felt it was ready. Mr Zuma eventually spent the night in Bloemfontein, when that event had been planned as a day trip, say those in the know.

Clearly he did not learn.

Mr Zuma had a lot of options for his packed diary. The ultimate embarrassment — if he really is embarrassed — was avoidable. Firstly, he had no business starting at the youth league gathering. It’s pointless being early for a gathering of people who have no respect for time — even worse when they have no respect for you.

The citizens who left before he finally arrived at Orlando have every right to be disappointed. Some of them wanted to meet their president — and hear him sing — which seems to be the common theme at these rallies anyway.

If he really had to, Mr Zuma should have grabbed Julius Malema and the two of them could have gone and addressed the national rally — before going on to the league’s Midrand do. But then Mr Malema may have refused. It boggles the mind why Mr Malema was invited to address the official rally anyway. Andile Lungisa, who chairs the National Youth Development Agency, should have gone. Mr Lungisa after all represents a government agency. (Its relevance aside).

Mr Malema should never be invited to such official rallies without other parties’ youth formations being invited. The photographs of Mr Malema in ANC colours — on a podium with the country’s coat of arms -– reinforces the message that there is no difference between the party and the state. That is more dangerous that the message Mr Zuma sent -– that the party is bigger than the state.

In true kiddies’ style, the league showed Mr Zuma what it thinks of him. They made him the captive punch bag — with Mr Malema going to town criticising his government. While Mr Malema was going on and on reading his political report, the thought of removing Mr Zuma from the podium did cross the Presidency officials’ minds. An official says they thought of advising Mr Zuma to leave for Orlando — but then political sanity prevailed. Leaving Mr Malema half-way through his speech would have been a political blunder. They settled for a public relations headache. After all, there are no consequences for messing with the nation. The ANC rules, the nation follows.

When Mr Zuma got a chance to address the league (after Mr Malema’s rants), he was interrupted by league spokesman Floyd Shivambu. Mr Shivambu mumbled something when Mr Zuma was explaining the government’s stance on Libya. Mr Zuma lost his cool, and gave him a look, then asked: “Ukhuluma nami, baba?” (Are you talking to me, man?).

I asked a senior league leader if they would apologise for Floyd’s interjection. “What for?” he replied.

Let’s leave it there.

Tags: #, #ANCYL, #Malema, #Orlando, #Soweto, #Zuma