26 Apr 2009 |
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THE FALL OF THABO MBEKI AND THE RISE OF JACOB ZUMA: THE POLITICAL AND LEADERSHIP DYNAMICS THEREOF. ANTHONY OKOSUN Tonyosun@yahoo.co.uk You do not lead by hitting people over the head-that’s assault, not leadership. Dwight D. Eisenhower A leader must have the courage to act against an expert’s advice. James Callaghan The Manager accepts the status quo; the leader challenges it. Warren Bennis. The Manager asks how and when; the leader asks what and why. Warren Bennis A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don’t necessarily want tp go but ought to be. Rosalynn Carter. It is the popular viewpoint, that many years after the dethronement of apartheid in South Africa, the country has finally elected it’s first truly African President. Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, fondly referred to as the Madiba, was a sophisticated lawyer and a prince. After his return from the Robben Island Prison, he was unanimously rewarded with the Presidency of South Africa. That was the best way conceivable to assuage the battered and hurt emotions, sensibilities and other assorted human attributes of the great man. Then Nelson Mandela personally picked Thabo Mbeki, a British trained economist, Soviet Union trained guerrilla fighter, a former ANC Nigerian Mission Supremo and the son of the anti-apartheid struggle great, Govan Mbeki; to deputize for him and to succeed him. Both Mandela and Mbeki were acceptable to the masses, but viewed as very Eurocentric in their orientation and in their perspectives. Then we have the self-taught, Zulu herd boy, and anti apartheid folk hero, who, many have recognized as the first truly elected authentic Afro-centric leader of South Africa. Jacob Gedleyiihlekisa Zuma, a Zulu, also known by his initials JZ and by his clan name of Msholozi, was born on April 12, 1942, a former member of the Umkhonto we Sizwe, the military wing of the ANC, that was headed by Nelson Mandela, before his incarceration in Robben Island Prison. He was also a former member of the South African Communist Party and finally the African National congress (ANC). Jacob Zuma was in jail in Robben Island, on a charge of plotting to overthrow the erstwhile apartheid regime According to reports, Jacob Zuma did not receive any formal education due to his extremely deprived childhood. After the death of his father, while JZ was still very young, the mother found employment as a domestic worker, while at the young age of 15, Jacob Zuma started doing odd jobs to supplement his mother’s meager earnings. Jacob Zuma, lived many of his political formative years in exile. At various times he was in Mozambique and in Zambia, where he served as the ANC head of intelligence and the leader of the underground struggle that co-ordinated the anti-apartheid internal resistance in all of South Africa. Jacob Zuma was the deputy President of South Africa from 1999 to 2005 Jacob Zuma is a political godfather. In fact he is the quintessential poster boy of the notion of Mafia godfather as popularized by the Mario Puzo fictional creation 'The Godfather', based on real life Sicilian mafia life style, of Italian crime families and the daily activities of the family head known as the Capo di Tutti Capi - Boss of all Bosses. Jacob Zuma derived this mythical and legendary, larger than life clout and political aura, as a result of his activities as the head of the ANC intelligence Unit and later the numero uno generalissimo of the anti-apartheid underground guerilla unit, Umkhonto We Sizwe, Nelson Mandela’s former position before the Madiba’s lock down, by the former apartheid government of South Africa. If we are to have a proper understanding of the Jacob Zuma mystery, we must first attempt to unravel and understand the phenomenon called political godfather. Political godfathers are the top level political stalwarts and financial pillars, the masses can identify with, when they figure, that the government(s) of the day is not communicating with them, politically, economically and socially. While the masses considered Thabo Mbeki as too Euro-centric and speaking the economic, political and social language of the elites, who were applauding him and cheering him on; Jacob Zuma was the consolation of the every day South African Joes. The recent riots in South Africa, where African migrants were killed, maimed, raped, looted among other atrocities, dramatized the frustration of the South African masses with the Thabo Mbeki administration’s policies. Thus, where the masses deemed the regular governments as having failed woefully to create an enabling environment; whereby the masses could thrive and prosper. The political godfather is looked upon to provide some measure of individual long term and short term relief(s) . This is the theory and the story of Jacob Zuma’s emergence as the masses choice in South Africa. Jacob Zuma is the man the ANC leaders, rank and file army and the masses could identify with. He was the poor and disadvantaged persons, man in government or so they believed. Thabo Mvuyelwa Mbeki, a xhosa, was born on June 18, 1942. He was the secretary of the African Students Union and was heavily involved in mobilizing students in support of the anti-apartheid struggles, a passion that engulfed him at the early age of 14. He was also a key player in the underground apartheid resistant movement. His father Govan Mbeki, a graduate teacher, was the leader of the South African Communist Party and an anti-apartheid struggles great. Thabo Mbeki earned a degree in economics from the University of London. In 1966, he earned a masters degree in economics at the Sussex University. In 1970, the ANC sent him to the former Soviet Union for military training. At various times he represented the ANC in Botswana, Zambia etc in various capacities In 1975 he was the ANC acting representative in Swaziland. In 1978 Thabo Mbeki was appointed the ANC representative in Nigeria. After the April 1994, general elections, Nelson Mandela appointed Thabo Mbeki to the post of Deputy President. In December 1997, Thabo Mbeki became the new President of the ANC. After Nelson Mandela’s tenure as President of South Africa, Thabo Mbeki ascended the throne of the South African Presidency. The Cordial relationship between Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma took a twisted turn after allegations of corruption and rape were made against the latter. As soon as Jacob Zuma was arraigned in Court for corruption, the government of Thabo Mbeki relieved Jacob Zuma of his post as Deputy President of South Africa. The break up in the relationship between the urbane and educated Thabo Mbeki and the traditionalist and masses oriented Jacob Zuma, very clearly demonstrated and dramatized a reconfiguration in the power dynamics within the African National Congress, the government of South Africa, and the highly politicized populace. While Mbeki was popular among the elite and his regime was economically successful according to the standards of Harvard, Princeton, Yale and Oxford Universities;Jacob Zuma won the affection, trust and adoration of the common people. Ordinary South Africans could relate to Zuma. Ordinary South Africans could identify with Zuma. He was one of them. Jacob Zuma exudes charm and charisma. He is a people person and he has an appealing camaraderie skills. Jacob Zuma’s people skill’s were very helpful, when in 1990, as a Zulu, a helped to mediate between the African National Congress ANC and the Inkhata Freedom Party IFP, during a blood bath party rivalry era, that left about 12,000 people dead. On the other hand, the people saw Mbeki as too remote and a white man in a black man’s skin. Boy, did Zuma leverage his popularity among the people ? You bet, he did. It took Zuma a few months to unseat President Mbeki as the leader of the African National congress. Thereafter, Zuma mobilized the ANC machinery cum the parliament to forced Mbeki out of power. Zuma thereafter contested the elections for President on the platform of the ANC. With the recent victory of the ANC at the polls, the rest as they say, is now history; or soon to be history What made Thabo Mbeki popular among foreigners and the elite but unpopular among South Africa’s ordinary and regular Joes ? The elite and foreigners were pleased with the efforts made by Thabo Mbeki to position South Africa as a regional power in Africa. Under Mbeki South Africa played a leading role in the formation of the African Union, and in brokering peace deals in many troubled spots in Africa. Thabo Mbeki’s government, aggressively sought to attract foreign investments to South Africa. It is widely accepted that he succeeded in this regard too. It is also noted that under Mbeki’s administration, million of South Africans had access to clean water. Many low income homes, were also built for South Africans under the Mbeki administration. Evidently, the Masses were not satisfied with the efforts made by the Mbeki administration to bring them economic succor and social relief. We must realize, that while the Mbeki administration's economic successes have largely benefitted the middle and upper classes, the masses have been largely unimpressed with the Mbeki administration. Criminal activities among the poor class in South Africa is at an all time high. These issues have helped to distant Thabo Mbeki from the vast majority of ANC members, the parliament, the labor unions and the masses. Jacob Zuma like a wily old fox, cleverly leveraged these Mbeki’s minuses, in pulling the rugs from beneath the feet of Mbeki; in the ANC and in the South African parliament. We should now consider the factors that catapulted Jacob Zuma into a cult figure in South Africa. Jacob Zuma’s heroic role as an anti-apartheid hero, has never been forgotten by South Africans. The fact that he is not educated is seen as a plus among the vast majority of South Africas disadvantaged and deprived. His image is nostalgically engraved into the psyches of the struggling South Africans as their representative in government. His weaknesses are considered extremely mild compared to the realities in the lives of many members of the hoi polloi. His many wives reflect the ways of the people. The masses are very much at home with him. The passion with which the average south African sing and dance to the apartheid era song: Lethu Mshini Wami; which translates from Zulu to mean ‘bring my machine gun’; at every Jacob Zuma campaign rally, shows the affection and love for Jacob Zuma by the South African talakawas. Whereas Thabo Mbeki seemed too aloof and too educated and urbane; Zuma is seen like the jolly good neighbor down the street, who is doing well and could be called upon to help with resources in time of emergencies, or help to peddle influence, when push sometimes come to shove. Jacob Zuma’s very humble roots is his greatest assets
The late German Jurist Friedrich Carl von Savigny, who was one of the greatest, most respected and most influential 19th-century jurists, sought to prove and actually succeeded in his great works the Recht des Besitzes and the Beruf unserer Zeit fur Gesetzgebung; that the laws of a people always reflect their spiritual (political and economic)consciousness. Applying Savigny’s principles to South Africa’s socio political and economic environment, would reveal that the teeming south African masses have been living a lie. South African laws, and social political and economic realities were not designed and developed with the oppressed back South Africa’s masses in mind. Thabo Mbeki tried to apply the system to benefit all South Africans. However only the elite and the minority whites and Asians benefitted immensely from the systems inherited by Thabo Mbeki. Thus the masses felt frustrated and they felt that their anti apartheid struggles were yielding no dividends. Thus, When the Mbeki administration moved against Jacob Zuma over corruption charges; the people, including parliament, trade unions, ANC stalwarts and field army saw the affront as Mbeki’s intransigence and temerity gone too far. The last straw that cost Thabo Mbeki his popularity among the anti-apartheid greats, was his inability to deal with the South African mob who took the laws into their hands and engaged in anti-African migrants death campaigns. South African mobs hunted, maimed and burnt to death, many African immigrants in that country. The mobs raped, robbed and murderd fellow Africans and rendered them homeless and destitute by arson et al. The shame of the South African mobs activities, would be more deeply detested, when viewed against the background of the fact that the people, the South Africans killed, maimed, looted and rendered destitute, were the ones who fought so hard for the attainment of a free South Africa. We shall consider Nigeria as an example. Nigeria was in the frontline for the attainment of freedom and total fundamental liberties in South Africa. The Murtala Muhammed - Olusegun Obasanjo regime, in a successful attempt to warn the international community, that it would not tolerate lightly, the idea of any country doing business with the white minority regime in South Africa, nationalized the local operations of Barclays Bank in Nigeria, after that bank ignored the strong protests by Nigeria, advising it, not to buy the South African government bond, which would be in violation of the economic / trade embargo on the racist South African regime. Nigeria's Murtala Muhammed - Olusegun Obasanjo regime, nationalized the British Petroleum (BP) for supplying oil to South Africa. This was at a time, when South Africa needed action and not just rhetoric to lend credence and momentum to the struggle for freedom from the white apartheid masters. These were no mean and easy decisions. These were decisions that carried very enormous political implications. These decisions were capable of attracting serious political, economic and social reprisals. However, Nigeria damned any consequence, to help South Africa gain freedom. Also, to help South Africa gain independence, Nigeria led a boycott of the 1978 Commonwealth Games in protest of New Zealand's sporting contacts with apartheid South Africa. And 32 of 59 nations from Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean joined the Nigeria led boycott of the 1986 Commonwealth Games due to the Thatcher government's attitude towards South African. Nigeria, a member of the common wealth mobilized it's diplomatic influence, and led majority of the common wealth countries to boycott these common wealth games as a show of solidarity with South Africa and to send a message to the white country members in the common wealth and in the world generally, that Nigeria will risk all and fight with everything, to set our brothers and sisters in South Africa free. These actions deeply tested Nigeria's claim to leadership in Africa and beyond. The whole world took notice and the struggle for the liberation of South Africa was immediately hyper-accelerated. Nigeria, was henceforth recognized at the United Nations as a member of the front line states; though the front line states were in Southern Africa and Nigeria was an independent nation and situate in West Africa. In fact Nigeria became the permanent chairman of the United Nations Committee for the Front Line States.
Nigeria is also reputed to have provided secret military training at the Kaduna first mechanized army division and provided other material, financial and diplomatic support to African National Congress guerrilla forces. Nigeria gave all the assistance enumerated here-in-above to South Africa, when President Thabo Mbeki, a British trained economist and Soviet Union trained guerrilla fighter, was the African National Congress Permanent Representative in Nigeria. What an irony of fate that it was under the administration of the same very Thabo Mbeki, that Nigerian citizens and the citizens of other African countries, who fought so hard for the freedom of south Africa were maimed, killed, robbed and raped. The failure of President Thabo Mbeki to address the riots cost him his remaining credibility and leverage among many ANC elders and South African parliamentarians, who were all veterans of the anti apartheid struggles and knows first hand the assistance rendered to South Africa by brother and sister African countries, especially Nigeria. It is important to note that until President Umaru Musa Yar Adua of Nigeria visited South Africa to impress upon President Thabo Mbeki to stop the riots, Mbeki paid a lukewarm attitude to quelling the riots. This failure prepared the ground for the wily Jacob Zuma to pull the power rug from under Mbeki’s feet. Thereafter Thabo Mbeki was dethroned as the ANC leader, by Jacob Zuma and the ANC dominated parliament, consequently forced him to resign from his position as South Africa’s President. Now it is obvious that while Thabo Mbeki was a manager or an administrator, however, he can not really be called a leader in the mode of Jacob Zuma, the Zulu boy who taught himself to read and transformed himself from a nobody to a national figure by sheer courage and determination. Undisputably Jacob Zuma commands acceptability and respectability among the ordinary people of south Africa. Whereas Thabo Mbeki was a good administrator, had expert knowledge of high level economics and foreign affairs; he certainly was not a leader. Yes he cannot be called a leader because the crisis that cost him his presidency showed that Mbeki had no much influence among the folks that mattered most, the ANC leaders and members, South African parliamentarians and the masses. Among the party leaders, Parliamentarians and the masses, he was very unpopular, in contradistinction to Jacob Zuma, who is very dearly loved and appreciated. Therein lies Jacob Zuma’s power and advantage over Thabo Mbeki. Now Jacob Zuma has effectively leveraged that advantage. Now, what are the implications of a Jacob Zuma presidency. Jacob Zuma is widely seen as very disorganized in his personal affairs. He is a polygamist, who has been married four times. He is reputed to be very poor in handling his personal finances. Many persons fear that he will not be able to impact the South African economy, with the serious approach and fiscal discipline, necessary to avert an economic set back in South Africa. Jacob Zuma has also criticized Thabo Mbeki for not having been able to help secure land for the South African landless majority. These are folks who were forced out of their lands in the days of apartheid. This is the issue that brought down Robert Mugabe. Will the efforts to take land from the white minority and make same available to the South African black majority also bring down Jacob Zuma? Well, time will tell. Will Jacob Zuma introduce an era of hyper corruption a la Nigerian style in South Africa, or would he disappoint his critics by proving himself to be an avowed anti corruption crusader? Again, only time can tell. ANTHONY OKOSUN Tonyosun@yahoo.co.uk
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