Jean-Jacques Cornish

Bare threat from Economic Freedom Fighters

The leftist Economic Freedom Fighters have started the countdown to next week’s opening of parliament in Cape Town when they say they’ll hold President Jacob Zuma accountable to the country for the upgrades to his home at Nkandla in KwaZulu-Natal.
They’re also threatening to use shock tactics if they’re barred from wearing their trademark red overalls or maids uniforms in the house.
The clock on the EFF website has nine days and some minutes and seconds until what they’re calling the day of accountability.
President Jacob Zuma’s due to answer questions in the national assembly next month.
Last time he did this he was shouted down by EFF members who faced disciplinary action for disruptive behaviour
Next week’s opening’s traditionally dedicated to Zuma’s state-of-the-nation speech.
The EFF threaten to cause turmoil again if Zuma doesn’t offer to pay back the money paid from the public purse for security upgrades to his private home.
The event traditionally has television cameras filming legislators posing in their finery.
The EFF say they’re determined to save it from becoming a fashion parade.
Their leader Julius Malema says he’ll appear in the nude if women colleagues are prevented from wearing the maids uniforms and men are not allowed to sport the red overalls and hard hats they wear to underline their working-class status.

 

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Jean-Jacques Cornish is a journalist and broadcaster who has been involved in the media all his adult life.

Starting as a reporter on his hometown newspaper, he moved briefly to then Rhodesia before returning to South Africa to become a parliamentary correspondent with the South African Press Association. He was sent to London as Sapa’s London editor and also served as special correspondent to the United Nations. He joined the then Argus group in London as political correspondent.

Returning to South Africa after 12 years abroad, he was assistant editor on the Pretoria News for a decade before becoming editor of the Star and SA Times for five years.

Since 1999 he’s been an independent journalist writing and broadcasting – mainly about Africa – for Talk Radio 702 and 567 Cape
Talk, Radio France International, PressTV, Radio Live New Zealand, Business Day, Mail & Guardian, the BBC, Agence France Press,
Business in Africa, Leadership, India Today, the South African Institute for International Affairs and the Institute for Security Studies.

He has hosted current affairs talk shows on Talk Radio 702 and 567 Cape Talk. He appears as an African affairs pundit on SABC Africa and CNBC Africa.
He lectured in contemporary studies to journalism students at the Tshwane University of Technology and the University of Pretoria.

He speaks on African affairs to corporate and other audiences.
He has been officially invited as a journalist to more than 30 countries. He was the winner of the 2007 SADC award for radio journalism.

He’s been a member of the EISA team observing elections in Somaliland, Democratic Republic of Congo, Madagascar, Zimbabwe, Egypt and Tunsiai.

In October 2009 he headed a group of 39 African journalists to the 60th anniversary celebrations of the Peoples’ Republic of China.

In January 2010 he joined a rescue and paramedical team to earthquake struck Haiti.

He is immediate past president of the Alliance Francaise of Pretoria.

Jean-Jacques is a director of Giant Media. The company was given access to Nelson Mandela in his retirement years until 2009.
He is co-producer of the hour-long documentary Mandela at 90 that was broadcast on BBC in January 2009.