S’African women protest against Zuma ‘sex act’ painting

Female supporters of South African President Jacob Zuma on
Friday marched through the capital Pretoria to defend him against
attacks including a satirical painting depicting him engaged in a sex
act.
Several hundred members of African National Congress Women's
League (ANCWL) rallied outside the Union Buildings, the official seat
of the government.
The ANC Women's League held its march to demonstrate its loyalty
to Zuma, who was recently depicted in the graphic painting by a
local artist Ayanda Mabulu.
"The painting denigrates the president, not just him, but
women as well, given how a woman is portrayed," Toko
Xasa, ANCWL spokeswoman, told AFP.
"We can't allow that to happen."
An ANCWL statement before the march attacked "the portrayal of
the President's genitals in the mouth of a woman," and said the
event would celebrate Zuma's role in transforming the country since
apartheid.
"We, therefore, stand firm in saying 'hands off President
Zuma' as the leader of the (ANC) organisation and father of
the nation," it said.
Entitled "The Pornography of Power", the brightly coloured painting
depicts Zuma in a sex act surrounded by symbols and characters
that the artist said represent rape, colonialism, slavery and
exploitation.
Mabulu, the artist, defended his work and said that the protest was
misguided.
"These women are protecting and defending someone who is
raping the country," he told AFP. "They should be protesting
to protect the victims."
Outrage over the painting, which first featured in the local media two
weeks ago, echoed a similar dispute in 2012 over "The Spear", a
painting that showed Zuma with exposed genitals.
That image triggered fury from the ANC, which described it as
"indecent, racist, disrespectful and an abuse of freedom of
expression".
The painting, by Brett Murray, was the subject of court cases and
was vandalised at a Johannesburg gallery.
Members loudly cheered to calls made by various leaders, saying
the president is a father too and elderly men must be respected in
African culture.
Thousands of women in green dresses marched to the Union
Buildings to raise various issues of concern but most importantly to
defend the dignity of the president.
The league says in the past all presidents who led the ANC, like
Oliver Tambo, were defended no matter what and Zuma is included.
Members will be handing over a memorandum to a government
representative.
ANCWL President Bathabile Dlamini has defended the movement's
decision to march to defend Zuma's dignity.