American journalist Blaine Harden described the typical megalomaniacal African President:

His face is on the money. His photograph hangs in every office in the realm. His ministers wear gold pins with tiny photographs of him on the lapels of their tailored suits. He names streets, stadiums, hospitals and universities after himself. He carries a silver-inlaid ivory mace or an ornately carved walking stick or a flywhisk or a chiefly stool. He insists on being called “doctor” or “conqueror” or “teacher” or “big elephant” or “the number one peasant” or “the wise old man” or “the national miracle” or “the most popular leader in the world”. His every pronouncement is reported on the front page. He sleeps with wives and daughters of powerful men in his government. He shuffles ministers around without warning, paralyzing policy decisions as he undercuts pretenders to the throne. He scapegoats minorities to shore up popular support He bans all political parties except the one he controls. He rigs elections. He emasculates the courts. He cows the press. He stifles academia. He goes to church.

The Big Man: ¹

• Demonstrates how far he is from the squalor of fellow citizens. They live I live in opulence and travel in luxury beyond reasonable standards.
• Conspicuously displays his wealth (Mobutu and his hometown)
• Is blessed by God
• Dresses like a “Fat Cat”
• Do not show true pride in things African
• Manipulates the “family culture” and wants to be called “Dada” or “Father” (blatant exploitation of patriarchal power in African culture)
• Instills fears of for his “magical powers” (Charles Taylor and Mobutu)
• Is secretive, yet demands access to private information of others
• Is paranoid, always a victim of a plot
• Will rarely in difficulty with the law, but seeks out situations where their tyrannical behavior will be tolerated, condoned, or admired. (Using sex, race, nationality or other 'status' categories to create scapegoats
• Appears conventional but displays bizarre behaviour.
• Desires control and power over as many people as possible
• Has an emotional need to justify their crimes and therefore needs their victim's respect, gratitude and love.
• Is defiant with regard to civil and social 'norms' and is unable to feel remorse or guilt.

The Big Men have titles and honours bestowed on him. Some of the more famous or infamous examples are:

• Mobutu, The Cock that Covers all the Chickens”, “Father of the Nation, Guide, Helmsman, Chief, Messiah. the All-Powerful Warrior Who goes from Conquest to Conuest. Leaving Fire in His Wake”
• Banda, “Chief of Chiefs”, and “The Great Lion”
• Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, "gentleman of the great island of Bioko, Annobón and Río Muni." and El Jefe (the boss).
• Amin, "His Excellency, President for Life, Field Marshal, Al Hadji, Doctor, Idi Amin Dada, Lord of All the Beasts of the Earth and Fishes of the Seas and Conqueror of the British Empire in Africa in General and Uganda in Particular."
• Bokassa,  "Emperor of Central Africa by the will of the Centrafrican people, united within the national political party, the MESA

Other notorious African Big Men include Robert Mugabe, Daniel Arap Moi, Museveni, Biya and Barre

The Big Man usurps power and turns democracy into a one party state or military dictatorship and finally a one-man state.³ His sole intention is to create an entity to support his needs first and foremost. The fact that he destroys the economy and causes poverty does not concern him as long as the crippled economy supplies more than what he can take. It is a bit like an emaciated cow supplying milk. If she supplies milk to only one mouth, it will take her a long time to die. ²

Unfortunately, the African culture fosters and sustains the Big Man.  The African reverence for authoritarian figures makes them easy targets for oppression and abuse by the Big Man. Their penchant to believe anything, like naïve children allows the Big Man to establish himself. By the time things start going wrong, another African cultural characteristic kicks in. The people will start discussing what went wrong and why did it go wrong. The outcomes of discussions will be given to the Big Man who will make promises, which he may or may not believe he can keep. He will take action to correct one high impact issue thus buying time and some credibility. He may also embark on a retaliation campaign kill and torture a few hundred scapegoats thus emphasizing his power. As a result, it can take a long time for the followers of the Big Man to overcome their fear, rise up and unseat him.

Support from peers in Africa more often than not shields the Big Man from the just consequences for his actions. Continental organizations such as the AU and SADC will go to extremes to protect African leaders from the rest of the world. Excuses for their behaviour will always be found and top of the list will inevitably be the after effect of colonial rule. Even Nelson Mandela, great statesman as he is asked the world to forgive the Big Men because their behaviour is caused by poverty. This gives rise to guilt feelings, the critics back off and the Big Man carries on with his asset stripping and power mongering, which could entail aid money from the guilt ridden former colonial power and critic.

Big Men do not realise that there are consequence to their actions, or maybe they do but know and expect that their peers in Africa will pullout all stops to ensure they shielded from the fall-out. Examples are the outrage expressed by African leaders to the attemted prosecution of Siad Barre and the way in which the proposed Zimbabwe solution is designed to give Mugabe a parachute for a soft landing. The Afrcan culture of not accepting accountability does not help.

Since the election of Jacob Zuma as ANC president his behaviour, utterances and actions has pointed to the rise of another big man. Examples of Zuma’s Big Man type excesses are legion some recent examples are:

• His actions to avoid his day in court on corruption charges the Armsdeal
• His explanations when charged with rape where he made his famous “wash the HIV/Aids away
• The justification of his adultery as the “manly thing” to do
• The constant references from supporters and followers as well as his references likening him to Christ and portraying the ANC as chosen by God
• His ambition for  an one party state when he stated that he is not fighting for a 2/3 majority, but for a 3/3 majority
• The extreme size and behaviour of his convoys when traveling by road.
• His lies, promises and mixed messages
• His self portrayal as the patriarch and moral guardian of the nation
• The contempt he shows for people offended by his trade mark song, Umshini Wham (Bring my Machine Gun) 

Is he our Idi Amin, Mobutu Seso Seko, Robert Mugabe, Siad Barre or Omar Bongo? I hope not but I am afraid I may be very wrong. Is he a ghost from the past coming to haunt us? History has a habit of repeating itself, especially in Africa

The blindness of the masses to his lies, deceit and unrealistic promises are scary. The naivety of intelligent people like businesspersons and editors believing much he promises is unbelievable. The inability of the opposition to expose him is staggering.  

His ability to change according to the occasion reflects chameleon-like characteristics. I trust that South Africa will open its eyes and see him for what he is and remind themselves;  "So as the chameleon changes his skin, an unwise one changes the color of his being..." - Sufi (Pantheistic Muslim mysticism) parable

Take note world here comes President Jacob Zuma – All-Powerful Warrior Who goes from Conquest to Conquest, from Kanga to Kanga, leaving seed in his wake. Grand Wizard of the Healing Shower.  Lord of Beasts, Pests, Afflictions and HIV/Aids, Moral Beacon for the Nation. Defender of Justice and Democracy, Ruler for Life, The Great Messiah guiding the Nation and builder of Moral Fibre, Father of Many Children, Master of the Machine gun, Great Chameleon and guardian of The Secret Of The Lie.

Acknowledgements

1. Blaine Harden; Africa, Altered States, Ordinary Miracles
2. Richard Dowden; Dispatches from a Fragile Continent
3. Chinua Achebe; A man of the People