Zambia's White Vice-President on South Africans

Zambian vice-president Guy Scott in Harare, Zimbabwe.

(Photograph: Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi/AP)

"The South Africans are very backward in terms of historical development," he said. "I hate South Africans. That's not a fair thing to say because I like a lot of South Africans but they really think they're the bees' knees and actually they've been the cause of so much trouble in this part of the world.

"I have a suspicion the blacks model themselves on the whites now that they're in power. 'Don't you know who we are, man?'"

Scott scoffed at the inclusion of South Africa in the Brics grouping of emerging economies. "They think in Brics that the 's' actually stands for South Africa whereas it stands for Africa. Nobody would want to go in for a partnership with Brazil, China, India and South Africa for Christ's sake.

"I dislike South Africa for the same reason that Latin Americans dislike the United States, I think. It's just too big and too unsubtle."

Warming to his theme, Scott let rip at South African President Jacob Zuma, comparing him with the last apartheid leader, FW de Klerk. "He's very like De Klerk. He tells us, 'You just leave Zimbabwe to me.' Excuse me, who the hell liberated you anyway, was it not us? I mean, I quite like him, he seems a rather genial character but I pity him his advisers."

The passage above was taken from David Smith's article in The Guardian (UK) entitled "Zambian vice-president: 'South Africans are backward'" (May 1, 2013).  Read the rest here.

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Comment: Vice-President Guy Scott has a lot more to say in the article quoted above and it's worth a read if you like candid off-the-cuff type of politicians.

His comments on gay rights is suspect at best but I can't fault him on his opinion of South Africans.

Truth be told we are a rude, arrogant and dumbass nation for the most part.  And yes we have a superiority complex even though we not too proud to throw tantrums and whine when countries like Britain decide to stop giving us foreign aid.

Why should Britain be giving South Africa aid now that the post-apartheid era is two decades old?  Are we not the big oakes on the block who can call shots even in BRICS?

Guess not if we crying about a mere 19 million pounds of aid from the lapsed empire.

Scott's thoughts on President Zuma is pretty much spot on too.  It is hard to dislike Zuma on a one-to-one level but sometimes you have to wonder who is advising him on key policy issues.

And don't get me started on the infamous Gupta family and the unofficial landing of their chartered plane full of wedding guests from India at Waterkloof Airforce Base in Pretoria.

Who gave the Guptas permission to use a key military base in Pretoria at their convenience instead of Oliver Tambo International in Joburg like everyone else including real diplomats and foreign leaders?

Yeah we are hardly who we think we are and on the face of it there is every indication that some of our elected leaders can be bought quite easily making us even dumber than we appear.

Now why do I feel like eating a banana all of a sudden?

Onward!