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AU Commission needs strong leader - Chikane

AU Commission needs strong leader - Chikane
By Kombe Chimpinde
Mon 06 Feb. 2012, 12:59 CAT

THE African Union needs a strong person on its driving seat, says South African High Commissioner to Zambia Moses Chikane.

In an interview shortly after the long anticipated election of the new AU Commission chairperson in Addis Ababa ended in a deadlock, High Commissioner Chikane said South Africa had acknowledged that democracy meant only one person could be a winner and the member states had the right to exercise their own choices.

This was after incumbent Jean Pean of Gabon and South Africa's Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma failed to garner two-third majority of votes.

The AU communication and information directorate in Addis Ababa has since announced that the suspended elections of the chairperson, deputy chairperson of the AU Commission and eight commissioners will take place in Malawi this June.

The Heads of State and Government of the African Union meeting at the 18th Ordinary Session of the AU Summit that ended last Tuesday at the new AU Conference Centre in Addis Ababa ultimately decided to extend the mandate of the Commission, led by Dr Ping, for another six months.

High Commissioner Chikane said "we as South Africans are not worried because we know that Mrs Zuma is a person of credibility and she has a clean track record".

"Whatever she did in our country became absolutely a success from the time she was Minister of Health and then she became Minister of Foreign Affairs, now Minister of Home Affairs, the most difficult ministry in any government," High Commissioner Chikane said.

He said South Africa would benefit from her leadership should she want to continue the race.

"There are several areas where the continent has gone through turbulences…we need a very strong person on the driving seat, a person who will not fear to say the truth at all times so that membership is educated and informed," said High Commissioner Chikane.

Labels: AU, MOSES CHIKANE

posted by MrK @ 3:56 PM