He’s said to be a president of the people, a man who (despite his faults) does have the common touch, and understands what your average man on the street wants and feels.
Now President Jacob Zuma has proved his ability to stay in touch with the “younger” populace in his State of the Nation speech. Twice within the first half-hour of his speech at Parliament yesterday Zuma specifically mentioned social media platforms Facebook and Twitter. In one instance mentioning a specific complaint about service delivery in a KZN town. Zuma, in his understated way, was saying to voters, “We are here, we are listening”.
State of the Nation: Zuma hits home run
Yet again, Zuma has shown that he is not someone to be underestimated, that he will listen to expert advice in his bid to keep up with crucial trends in communication and the changing face of government. Last year Zuma instituted a presidential help line, while just recently online platforms were buzzing with how he had become acquainted with his Apple iPad.
It’s well known that when Barack Obama became the first black man to be elected President of the United States in November 2008 his skill in manipulating social media platforms helped him raise massive amounts of campaign funding, and allowed him to communicate effectively with his supporters.