Part of being a politician is keeping up appearances, smiling for the cameras while you plot the business of running your country.

It’s especially prudent to put on a big, toothy grin when rumours have been circulating that you’re trying to see the other party locked up, like the interesting dynamic at play between Jacob Zuma and Pravin Gordhan.

The two met on Tuesday, and the Government Communication and Information System released four photos to the media. We’re interested in one in particular, because it looks like everything went swimmingly.

If you put your ear against the screen you can actually hear him cackling.

Here’s eNCA with more on that meeting:

They looked at how to take “forward the programme of reigniting growth, following recent announcements by credit rating agencies”. They also “discussed the global and domestic economic situation and how to strengthen support to state-owned companies.”

Then the gun was loaded and the trigger pulled:

…the spin doctors in government clearly held a meeting to discuss how they could possibly convince South Africa and the world that there is cohesion at the highest levels of political office. And what illustrates cohesion better than Gordhan and Zuma sitting together at a boardroom table, having a chuckle?

…The photos were well taken, the moments they captured steeped in camaraderie, and perhaps some of the matters on the table were actually discussed. But the publicity around the exercise just seems to express, yet again, that issues in this country will be addressed with rhetoric and propaganda – with nice photos – instead of action and policy.

Shots fired.

At least everyone seems to be eating healthy.

[source:enca]

[imagesource:here]