Thread: Mbeki forced out

I think overall Mbeki was neither a particularly bad President as they come in our part of the world, nor a very good one. The whole debate about HIV/Aids and his intransigence, as well as covering for Mugabe and ZANU-PF have set the fight against the disease in the region and the rise of democracy and accountability on our continent back. He's made many mistakes. The energy crisis is another example where Mbeki and his Government simply lost the plot.

But to be fair, South Africa has enjoyed economic growth under his watch. The black middle class has expanded. Exports are up and crime is generalyl down. He was a technocrat and in many ways that's what South Africa needs to get ahead. Now it s back to populist politics, and he is cleary the victim of that. I think it was time for him to go - pity he has to exit in this way. It's a shame.

I don't think Mbeki deserve such exit, although there had been some loopholes in his readership. Bearing in mind that there are only few months before his term expires he has nothing to loose nor to gain but rather the reputation of ANC destroyed and Fractions should be expected during the up coming election campaign as those loyal to Mbeki would not fall in favor of Zuma. On other hand I don't think Zuma is completely innocent in all charges that were labelled against him because there is no Smoke without fire. Pity to Mbeki and South Africa politic i general.

I don't think Mbeki deserve such exit, although there had been some loopholes in his readership. Bearing in mind that there are only few months before his term expires he has nothing to loose nor to gain but rather the reputation of ANC destroyed and Fractions should be expected during the up coming election campaign as those loyal to Mbeki would not fall in favor of Zuma. On other hand I don't think Zuma is completely innocent in all charges that were labelled against him because there is no Smoke without fire. Pity to Mbeki and South Africa politic i general.

I agree with those who say the exit of Mbeki was ill-timed. This political grand standing will have a negative effect on RSA, its economy as well as the confidence of the people in their leadership. Already there are talks within the ANC about a break away party led by Mbeki loyalists. In my view, the exit plus the new break away (if it happens) will negate the efforts of the ANC in creating a just and prosperous society for all South Africans. I may be wrong, but I am of the opinion that the ANC should have exercised quiet diplomacy and dealt with their problems in a more mature manner which is what defined their character during the struggle for democracy which is coming along for many decades.

I am not an economist but I cannot ignore the fact that the markets may react negatively to the RSA situation, causing that country and by extension Namibia to suffer the consequences.
At the end of the exercise, this is a lesson for all of us to learn.

This will come to haunt the ANC, and specifically the Zuma clique. The motive was anger and revenge for what Mbekie did (or did not) do to Zuma. The process was driven and tainted by personality-driven popular politics, instead of South Africa's national interest. The Zuma clique has been baying for Mbeki's blood since the former was fired as vice-president. Now they got it. But at what price? The poisoned chalice of power! This is not a good start for the Zuma presidency. Zuma may not have been proven guilty of corruption, but neither has he been proclaimed innocent. It is true that a man is innocent until proven guilty, and that principle stands. But Zuma would have been the stronger party if he had faced his accusers in an independent court of law. The case was dropped on a technicality, not on substance.

The ANC is a weaker party for this development, and I would not be surprised if at least some of Mbeki's supporters will split away to either form their own party or join another party. Let them all go and join the DA to create a new invogirated oppositon tha tmay be able to stand up to the ANC. That can only be good for the country. Whatever the weaknesses and failures of Mbeki he was a technocrat, a politian who tried to rule with reason, a philosopher king. There was a measure of stability to South African politics, of rationality, under Mbeki. Now we're back to the demoagogues of yesteryear. Bad news, I think. The politics of self-interest are in the ascendancy.

Time will tell, my friends. Let us not jump to conclusions too quickly. The important thing now is that there is an orderly transition of power. No doubt, Zuma is more popular than Mbeki and there was definitely disillusionment with Mbeki not only in the ANC but also the wider population, not least because of his handling of Zimbabwe. The financial markets may have liked him for he was predictable, but the markets are only one aspect of South African society. What does this mean for us here in Namibia? A lot depends on the unfolding process. IF this ushers in a Zuma presidency that is focussed on tackling the problems, we will benefit. Let us wait and see for just a little while. It is simply too early to tell.

For those of you interested, here is President Thabo Mbeki's full statement:

http://www.theshebeen.org/blogs/hist...r-21-2008.html

Love him or hate him, Mbeki's statement to his nation was measured and dignified and in many ways a reflection of his presidency. Can you ever imagine Mugabe doing something like this? HistoryMatters was so kind as to post the full statement:

http://www.theshebeen.org/blogs/hist...r-21-2008.html

What I worry about now is that there will be a long queue of people waiting to be appointed into cabinet and other powerful positions within the RSA government. If Zuma dare not appoint some people who think they are entitled to some recognition for their populist behaviour we must expect dissent, resentment, bickering, back stabbing and a frustration of government processes.

I contend that this issue could have been handled differently from the start. I do not absolve Mbeki from any wrong doing but the Zuma people should have appreciated the damage their behaviour will do to the image of the country and that of Africa. After all, RSA is the continent's biggest economy and we cannot afford it to plunge into chaos just because some people are yearning for power.