THE last fortnight has cast a disturbing light on President Jacob Zuma.

THE last fortnight has cast a disturbing light on President Jacob Zuma.

The shocking delivery of the State of the Nation Address, in which he fluffed his lines and read things that were not written, betrayed a lack of conscientiousness in matters pertaining to state business.

This coming as it did after the poor handling of revelations about his love child.

Our president needs help urgently. We hope he acknowledges this for his and our sakes. It is no longer a laughing matter.

Zuma is still the face and the voice of our country. His shortcomings reflect on all of us and on the highest office in the land. That is why we must help him recreate himself and the office he occupies.

By dwelling on his obvious flaws without offering avenues for his redemption makes us complicit in the damage he is causing .

We owe successive generations better answers than that we parodied the president when they ask us what we did when the dignity of the Office of the President was being eroded.

It is our country. It is the duty of a patriot to protect his country from its government.

To derive merriment from his foibles is akin to cutting our nose to ridicule our face.