"Obama will understand protests against his visit."

"Obama will understand protests against his visit," says South African President Jacob Zuma.

But, the real question is:

Will the American people understand that these protests are anti-imperialist protests taking place because Obama is the major proponent of Wall Street's imperialist agenda?

Here is how one publication has pitched this story but how many people in the United States will ever see what is transpiring in South Africa reported in this straightforward manner:

COMING from one of the oldest democratic states, US President Barack Obama will not be surprised to see protests in South Africa against his visit, President Jacob Zuma said on Monday, defending the right of dissenting voices within the country’s diverse political spectrum, including his party’s alliance partners.

Some trade unions, political parties and civil society bodies on Sunday condemned Mr Obama’s upcoming visit to South Africa in a joint statement.

The organisations said: "We categorically make it known that the visit of the US president to South Africa is an unwelcome visit that will be protested, picketed and resisted by all justice and peace-loving peoples of this country."

The statement was issued by the National Unions of Metalworkers of South Africa, the South African Communist Party, the Young Communist League of South Africa, the South African Students’ Congress, the Muslim Students’ Association, the National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union, the Congress of South African Trade Unions, the Friends of Cuba Society, Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions against Israel in South Africa, and the World Federation of Trade Unions.

"Friendship with South Africa must be based on values of justice, freedom and equality, and these the US has offended, undermined and ridiculed through its actions in the global front," they said.

Mr Zuma was addressing the South African National Editors’ Forum as president of the African National Congress in a series of monthly briefings organised by the party. He said that although it was unfortunate to welcome a guest in this manner, peaceful protests were allowed and were a legitimate way, in a democracy, to express people’s different views.