Hayibo.com - Motlanthe collapses after strings cut, ANC mulls new puppet

Motlanthe collapses after strings cut, ANC mulls new puppet

PRETORIA. South African President Kgalema Motlanthe has been rushed to a private workshop after the strings that move his limbs and keep him upright were accidentally cut. An ANC spokesman also confirmed that his jaw mechanism had also been slightly damaged but said this was not a serious problem as it was not Motlanthe's job to say anything.

Motlanthe had been addressing journalists this morning at a briefing entitled 'Trust Me, I Know What I'm Doing, Mostly' and had just begun to defend his credibility as President when the incident took place.

Shocked onlookers said that Motlanthe had just rattled his little wooden fists on the lectern and stamped his little wooden clogs on the floor, exclaiming, "I'm a real President!" when his strings were cut and he slumped to the floor.

However ANC spokeswoman Opiate Maponya said that there was no cause for concern.

She said that the cause of the incident was being investigated but that early indications pointed to Deputy President Baleka Mbete, who had been clipping her fingernails while waiting for the President to finish talking.

"We believe Comrade Mbete's grooming regimen may have compromised the strings as they moved across her clippers, at which point Comrade President Motlanthe was redeployed to the floor."

She said that Motlanthe was recovering well but added that the ANC would consider appointing a caretaker puppet to fill in while Motlanthe's jaw was oiled and new strings were attached.

However she would neither confirm nor deny speculation that the new puppet would be a larger and more sophisticated ventriloquist's dummy and not a traditional wooden puppet.

"We categorically deny the insinuation that traditional puppets are difficult to control," she said. "The Comrades of the National Executive Council have proven themselves masters at all the nuances of puppetry.

"However the struggle is constantly evolving and we must evolve with it. If Comrade Zuma believes that the nation would be best served by a ventriloquist President sitting on his knee, then that is his decision."

Meanwhile the office of ANC President Jacob Zuma has confirmed that it has received an official complaint from a group of professional ventriloquists and puppeteers who say that he moves his lips too much when making President Motlanthe perform in public.

However it assured the group that Zuma's shows would not go on for much longer as he was "planning to ditch the dummies and take over the spotlight as soon as court proceedings allow".