Cartoonist Jonathan Shapiro, better known as Zapiro, has decided to
temporarily detach the infamous shower from President Jacob Zuma's head, according to a report on iol.co.za.
Shapiro's latest cartoon, published in Tuesday's edition of the daily newspaper, The Times, shows Zuma sitting at his presidential desk with a dripping shower positioned above, rather than on, his head.
The shower, which has hitherto always been attached to Zuma's cranium, has the words "temporary suspension" tagged on it.
"I thought I will take stock of where we are and give the presidency a chance to get going," Shapiro told reporters.
"Despite my misgivings about Zuma and despite my belief that it was wrong for the ANC to have him as its presidential candidate, we all have to take stock of the reality that he is president of the country.
"So I said let's see if I can do gradual change – a little transition."
Shapiro first used the shower image in 2006 after Zuma said during his rape trial that he had sought to prevented himself from contracting HIV by showering after having sex with his accuser.
Shapiro said he had often come under intense political pressure to remove the shower from Zuma's head, but added that that was not the case this time.
He said he made up his mind to raise the shower after experiencing the mood of optimism in the country since Zuma's inauguration.
"On the morning of the inauguration, when I turned on the television, there was a sea of umbrellas.
"It seemed like there would be a huge downpour during the inauguration, but it didn't work out like that.
"Later on things became fairly sunny. I thought that was fairly symbolic," he said.
Click here to read the full report, posted on iol.co.za.
