I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t chuffed with this one.

Yesterday morning saw former President Jacob Zuma (remember him?) in an Economy Class seat, with that all-to-familiar smile on his face.

Simon Hodgson, a fellow South African and founder of LOVE SA Music was the lucky neighbour, posting this selfie on Facebook in order to prove the pudding:

Hodgson told GoodThingsGuy that him and Jacob spoke for most of the Kulula flight, and that he can be a pretty chilled dude:

He was actually super pleasant, even shared his mints and Pringles with me, and Matt (my son) shared his Easter eggs with him. Talked about a previous time we had met, his family, his time he has just spent at Winnie’s home, nkandla (which is where he was going) lots of chatting.

It seems as if our constant complaining is finally paying off, with many recent accounts of government officials ditching the private jets and Business Class bum cushions for the Economy option.

Maybe it’s because we’re no longer fitting the bill for his travel, and he has to fund that impending legal battle?

This past weekend it was President Cyril Ramaphosa himself who took the trend to new heights, sitting with the masses on a flight from Joburg to Durban on Good Friday.

I’m stoked, but how do other South Africans feel about it? Let’s hear from our source:

Some said it was a PR stunt, while others praised his small act of economy flying for finally getting in touch with how officials should be using tax payers money (when needing to get to different parts of the country).

If I had the choice, I’d probably choose to sit next to Zuma, just so I could say, “Hey bro, your leg is touching my leg”.

[source: goodthingsguy]