Good luck, “President Zuma”
Commentary
Sat, 20 Sep 2008 22:09:00 +0000
PRESIDENT Thabo Mbeki is a man of principle.
Today was a sad day for all of us and for President Mbeki – a man of principle, a remarkable man.
No doubt he resigned and will leave the government with his integrity intact. Most politicians would have adopted an ‘I am holier than you’ type of attitude when faced with accusations of wrong-doing.
President Mbeki has shown much courage in Zimbabwe and South Africa. His resignation has saved the nation, the party and his supporters much pain and anguish, not to mention the waste of resources that would have to be committed to calling for his ouster.
We know new African National Congress (ANC) leader Jacob Zuma has been on President Mbeki's case for a long time and the wrangle in the ANC has taken an ugly toll at various times.
Zuma has been known to promise his supporters that he will "cleanse the ANC of Xhosas”. He may achieved that feat, but to the detriment of a country that still has to address the National Question.
Zuma is a Zulu, whereas the Inner Circle of the ANC are all Xhosas (Mandela is a Xhosa Chief). The ANC is run by a "Xhosa Conspiracy" according to hardliners who elected Zuma for the ANC party’s Presidency.
If these divisions are real, then SA has a big problem. A divided Black leadership juxtaposed against the re-grouping of the Republican Party and the increasing fortunes of the Democratic Alliance (the main Right Wing opposition) could deal a huge blow for an economy heralded as the one of the best, if not the best, on the continent.
Zuma now faces the insurmountable task of delivering the Black South African population from poverty if he takes over as President.
The extent to which indigenous people were dispossessed of their land by whites in South Africa under colonial rule and apartheid has no parallels on the African continent. The challenges they face today can only be resolved by a unified Black leadership, not a divided one.
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