well, i've waited about a week or so, yet no one seems to have picked up on this or reported it. is there some special reason for it not being reported on, i wonder. we will no doubt find out if my humble blog gets into trouble, i suppose.
the Nelson Mandela Memorial Service last week somehow managed to produce a series of controversies. Barack Obama giving a speech we wish African leaders could either deliver but more importantly display the thinking about. Booing the incumbent South African President. "Selfies" being taken by World Leaders. certain African leaders being disrespectful and arriving after the family of Nelson Mandela (hi, Uncle Bob). A sign language practicioner (note - not pictured) that did not know how to sign.
and yet this gem from during the speech by Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma seems not to have been reported.
can you see it? pretty much the whole world did, i would have imagined, which is why i am surprised not to have seen any headlines about it. i consider this to be more disrespectful and certainly more insulting than any of the other "controversies" surrounding the day.
here you go, if for some reason you haven't spotted it, i have highlighted it in the next picture.
yep, as Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma speaks, someone important and prominent enough to be on the state for the memorial service apparently had no one to deal with her phone for her, hence her not only having it with her but taking an extended call too.
i have no idea who she is, but perhaps someone reading this will recognize her and hopefully she can be taken to task, similar to how the present government of South Africa presumes to chase and punish those who booed during President Zuma's speech.
make no mistake, this is not some sort of apology or defence of Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma. at all. i like most around the world was horrified by her approach to HIV / AIDS when she was in charge at Health. being an ex-Mrs Jacob Zuma does not help lift her popularity either, although on that note the mind boggles how one ends up divorced from Mr Zuma, so prolific is his collection of wives.
whatever one thinks of her, she is presently the chairperson of the African Union Commission and an important speaker on the day. someone should not have been allowed to sit next to her chatting away on their iTwat for any reason.
not that she, whoever she is, limited herself to just chatting. no, if you have an iTwat, you have all sorts of ways of communicating with the world.
here she is tapping away at the screen.
just because you can use it does not mean that you should. although full credit to her service provider for getting a signal through in such a busy place. i suspect whoever she uses, however, will not be looking to advertise the fact.
i think this is my favourite part, though. in this next picture, Ms iTwat Lady has the audacity and nerve to encourage those behind the stage - where no one surely should have been with the available space before it - to be quiet and show respect whilst Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma spoke. or perhaps they were simply bothering her all important conversations and tweeting.
that she waves her phone at the crowd, the military and the police is just priceless.
so just who is this lady that the press at large, as far as i have been able to search, have decided not to bother reporting on her questionable, clearly disrespectful approach? if this blog, or this blog post at least, just vanishes, then it will be someone really important, even though she is not easily identifiable or recognizable.
all of any of this did, of course, was to just take away from the most important thing of that particular day. the rememberance of a truly great man.
that's the statue of the great man, revealed today in Pretoria. by President Zuma, no less. and no, i believe there were no boos for him this time.
be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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