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Johannesburg — President Jacob Zuma was left unhurt after a tent in which he was delivering a Day of Reconciliation address at Gopane, North West, collapsed during a storm, the Presidency said.

“He is okay,” Dr Bongani Ngqulunga said. “He wasn’t injured.”

Zuma was frantically pulled away from the venue by his bodyguards as the marquee top was lifted into the air by strong winds yesterday afternoon.
While the heavens had opened up earlier during his speech, they exploded just as he mentioned the Marikana massacre. Zuma began by declaring,

“The incident was painful and traumatic not only for the families, but all South Africans.”

However, as he began detailing how government was implementing the recommendations of the Farlam commission, the tent ripped apart.

The Farlam commission issued a report following its investigation into the police shooting of 112 striking Lonmin mineworkers — of which 34 were killed — on August 16, 2012.

All news broadcasts were cut and people began stampeding out of the venue when the tent collapsed.

Proceedings were subsequently cancelled for the rest of the day.

There were no immediate reports of injuries.

Before the tent’s collapse, Zuma was enjoying a warm reception from the crowd as he conducted an extensive history lesson on various aspects of the holiday.

Earlier in his speech, he mentioned the need to accept that reconciliation was a “two-way process”.

“While black people are implored to bury the pain of the past and move on, white compatriots should also be ready to accept and support the imperative of transformation and redress.”

While Twitter was slow to comment on the president’s actual speech, once the marquee collapsed, the event began trending, with many using their 140 characters to ascribe a more symbolic — even spiritual — meaning to the occurrence.

“The ancestors are angry, msholozi”, tweeted Justntombi, while Khanyi Magubane suggested it was caused by the “spirits of Marikana”.

“Even the mother nature have no chill [sic],” suggested Lebona Hlalele, while Ryan Cummings pondered, “Was that the winds of change blowing in at the North West #reconciliationday commemoration?”

Meanwhile, Zuma, who was meant to give a keynote address at the Umkhonto weSizwe Military Veterans Association’s (MKMVA) gala dinner on Thursday night, did not attend due to ill health.

State Security Minister David Mahlobo, who represented Zuma at the event, said the president had been advised by doctors to “just take a small break”.

“He would have loved to join us, unfortunately you know he works so hard and he could not defy doctors if he was not feeling well,” Mahlobo said.

The gala dinner was held at Emperors Palace in Kempton Park on Thursday night to commemorate the founding of the ANC liberation army 55 years ago.

Zuma’s absence came amidst criticism from within the party that the event was factional, linked to the Gupta family and that “special awards” were given to those who allegedly benefited from business dealings with the family.

— AFP