ANC president Jacob Zuma is as exuberant as ever. Those who have never been around him will not feel his warmth and caring nature.

ANC president Jacob Zuma is as exuberant as ever. Those who have never been around him will not feel his warmth and caring nature.

I am sure that most of the poor white people from Bethlehem outside Tshwane, who shared a day with him recently, will attest to this.

Accompanied by government officials Zuma returned to this community to report on the concerns they raised earlier when he first visited them.

I watched as reporters jostled for space to photograph him and asked myself, is this the same man some sections of the media are trying so hard to portray as evil, uncaring and corrupt?

The residents of Bethlehem and others who have met him will vehemently disagree with what is insinuated.

Zuma is a man of the poor and understands their plight very well, regardless of their backgrounds and political affiliations.

He is a former trade unionist who at some point was also at the forefront of the struggles of the working class. This explains why he was able to engage trade union Solidarity to address the challenges faced by these people.

For his troubles with the NPA and others, we hope that our courts will not be influenced in any way when they deal with these matters and hopefully exonerate him so that he can take his rightful place and ensure that we march to the land of milk and honey.

Phaladi Seakgwe, Tshwane