Rape of Lady Justice cartoon controversy

The cartoon that started the controversy. Entitled the Rape of Lady Justice, the cartoon shows Jacob Zuma (far left) opening his pants whilst his political allies hold down a woman representing Lady Justice. It strongly implies that Zuma is about to rape Lady Justice with the assistance of his political allies.

The Rape of Lady Justice cartoon controversy occurred in response to a cartoon drawn by the satirical cartoonist Zapiro and published in the South African newspaper the Sunday Times on 7 September 2008. The cartoon, entitled "The Rape of Lady Justice", depicts Jacob Zuma – then the president of the African National Congress (ANC), and later the President of South Africa – unbuttoning his pants whilst four men hold down a woman representing Lady Justice, implying that Zuma is about to rape Lady Justice with their assistance and encouragement.[1] The four men were key Zuma supporters in the ANC-led Tripartite Alliance: from left to right, Julius Malema (then leader of the ANC Youth League), Gwede Mantashe (then ANC Secretary General), Blade Nzimande (General Secretary of the South African Communist Party), and Zwelinzima Vavi (General Secretary of the Congress of South African Trade Unions). The cartoon depicts Mantashe telling Zuma to "Go for it, boss!"[1]

  1. ^ a b Wills, Zapiro with Mike. "The back story to the most controversial cartoon in SA history". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 17 August 2018.