The South African Sunday Times published a cartoon depicting Zuma ready to engage in a rape of Lady Justice. This cartoon was published in the South African Sunday Times on the 7th September 2008. The cartoon depicts ANC president Jacob Zuma (obligatory shower faucet on his head) unbuckling his pants and being egged on to “Go for it, boss” by ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe, who — along with alliance leaders Julius Malema, Zwelinzima Vavi and Blade Nzimande — is shown pinning the Lady of Justice to the ground. While this cartoon has certainly created a growing furor from the Tripartite Alliance (three part alliance between the African National Congress (ANC), the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) and the South African Communist Party (SACP) it has started more public discussion than ever before on the subject of Jacob Zuma and the South African Justice system. While the ANC says the cartoon is not funny, Zapiro and the editor of the Sunday Times say the ANC and other criticism of cartoon misses the point. The background to the cartoon:

• Malema had threatened to kill for Zuma if the case relating to his corruption charges went ahead.
• Vavi had echoed Malema's pledge and Mantashe said there would be anarchy if the case continued. Judges of the Constitutional Court were also called "counter-revolutionary"
• It was common knowledge that Zuma's allies in the tripartite alliance were calling for a political solution to Zuma's corruption charges.

  Given this background Zapiro believed Zuma and the others depicted in the cartoon had threatened the justice system.