Brett Murray’s parody of Jacob Zuma (which is a parody of Vladimir Lenin) has triggered considerable outrage and, as usual, race-card-playing. Ironically, the artwork had been on display, quietly, for nearly a week before the ANC turned a small thing into a gigantic thing, thus perpetuating the Streisand Effect (and giving me material).

My editor didn’t want to err on the side of “poor taste”, so he chose not to run my cartoon.

With Julius “Yo-Landi” Malema still battling to have his suspension removed, Jacob “Ninja” Zuma is reiterating his position of authority.

In short, die ANC’s woord is final.

For reasons I am yet to understand, this cartoon was pulled.

Update

Sing along (with the correct lyrics) here.

Zuma is quoted as saying: “We don’t want to review the Constitutional Court, we want to review its powers. It is after experience that some of the decisions are not decisions that every other judge in the Constitutional Court agrees with.” [via]

Comments like this are potentially very dangerous, particularly because they target the heart of a democracy. Naturally, the presidency has defended the president, saying that the Constitutional Court is not under attack and that, once again, everyone has misunderstood his comments.

Which might be true (or not). But, then again, politicians would not be politicians if they were not ambiguous.

However, this cartoon was pulled.

My editor felt that my cartoon is “insensitive” and chose not to run it, while international syndicate Cagle Cartoons picked it up.

The sad reality is that history’s most awarded female singer, who didn’t even reach fifty, had a career covered in drugs. Which goes to show that all the money, in the world, can’t buy happiness. But it certainly bought Whitney Houston more “hits”. Her death should be a wake-up call.

But, of course, it won’t be.

Update

In an interesting turn of events, my editor decided to run this cartoon a few days later.

Another update

The autopsy confirmed that Whitney had taken cocaine before climbing into the bath.