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We
live in strange times. A prophet is indeed without honour in his own
home. One moment a man is being lauded for brokering a ground breaking
deal that holds the promise of peace and stability in a neighbouring
nation, and the next moment he’s receiving short shrift from his own
party; a party into which he was ‘born and baptised’ and of which he
has been a life-long member. These are strange times indeed.
It is inexplicable that the ANC would act in such a manner to force the resignation of President Mbeki from power at this time. It
is a disappointing action. It has set a poor precedent. There is no
denying the fact that President Mbeki’s relations with Jacob Zuma have
been fraught with difficulty for some time now. And
South Africa’s
High Court’s decision to spare Mr. Zuma the requirement of standing
trial on corruption charges must represent the final nail in the coffin
of their poisoned relationship.
The High Court’s decision, coming as it did against the background of the threat by Mr. Zuma’s supporters to plunge
South Africa
into anarchy, was probably the correct one in the circumstances. For
someone usually as sure footed as President Mbeki it is almost
unthinkable that he would have let matters between himself and Mr. Zuma
come to this point, thereby leaving him in a rare bind.
For if he had had his way and Mr. Zuma went to trial then political
temperatures would have risen to an unacceptable point, thus
destabilising
South Africa in the process; and if, as has happened, Mr. Zuma walked free then he would suffer a loss of authority, which he now has.
So
President Mbeki has become an Emperor defrocked, and lies exposed to
attacks from his enemies. It is not a pleasant position to be in, for
whenever your enemies detect a scent of weakness around you, they
encircle you in order to inflict damage. This has become President
Mbeki’s unfortunate fate.
It
is a pity that he did not pay more attention to sustaining his
relationships as he did in letting them wither. In politics, it is
customary, if not inevitable, that one will cultivate friendships as
well as enemies. But his mistake was to make enemies of people with a
following. Making enemies of the likes of the exotically named Tokyo
Sexwale and Jacob Zuma (and even Cyril Ramaphosa) was careless. He
ought to have drawn them close. For in politics it is said that you
must keep your friends close, but your enemies even closer. No doubt,
these enemies are now salivating with glee at his political demise.
But
nonetheless, it is still surprising that the ANC would call for his
resignation, rather than act as a restraining force or seek to effect
reconciliation between the antagonists in the situation. Particularly
as Mr. Zuma himself called for restraint towards President Mbeki
recognising that he had become a spent force. It would have been much
more charitable of the ANC to allow him to ride out his tenure which in
any event ends next year.
That
President Mbeki has agreed to resign as soon as the necessary
constitutional formalities are fulfilled is itself impressive. It shows
that he has an entrenched respect for the rule of law. He has a thing
or two to teach his peers across the continent in whom this
appreciation is lacking. But then again Mr. Mbeki is and has been one
of
Africa’s better presidents.
In a sense, it is quite fortuitous that he was able to broker the power-sharing deal in
Zimbabwe
a few days ago. Perhaps he sensed the writing was on the wall and got
President Mugabe to do the right thing. President Mugabe must realise
that he is not Mr. Zuma’s favourite person and will now have to tread
carefully. But nonetheless, it would be wrong for any caretaker
president or Mr. Zuma to allow the deal to founder on account of
President Mbeki’s brokering of it.
The
Zimbabwean power-share deal must be seen in its proper context as a
triumph of South African diplomacy, rather than simply a legacy of
President Mbeki. So whatever dislike Mr. Zuma may have for President
Mugabe, as South Africa’s putative president he must not allow his
feelings to colour his or the actions of whoever succeeds President
Mbeki in the short term. They must ensure that the protagonists in
Zimbabwe are made to live up to their commitments and responsibilities with respect to the agreement.
Given
his knack for independent mindedness, President Mbeki provoked
different reactions from different forces. In the West he was viewed
with ambivalence, if not outright suspicion. Unlike many other African
leaders whenever he was asked to ‘jump’ by the West, rather than ask
‘how high’ like his peers, he would remain firmly rooted to the ground.
He crossed swords with Western pharmaceutical companies and interest
groups; challenging their diagnoses, prognoses, and prescriptions on
the emotive issue of HIV, and its correlation with AIDS. And for this
he was widely demonised in Western media outlets.
Also on the issue of
Zimbabwe he resisted pressure from
Britain
and certain factions within the Commonwealth who were intent on
pursuing a colonial/paternalistic approach towards the issue. But in
characteristic fashion he ignored their pressure and pressed on with
his own approach; an approach which has now yielded the desired
dividends.
The
one area in which he struggled to make an enduring impact is the area
of poverty alleviation. Too many South Africans remain mired in the
quick sands of poverty. While he might have succeeded in nurturing a
black middle class, the conditions in which the majority population
subsist are appalling and are a festering sore in urgent need of
attention. But given the background to the problem it will take many
more administrations to correct the ills of the Apartheid regime.
All good things eventually come to an end; and that end has now come for President Mbeki. But I believe that
South Africa and indeed
Africa have benefited from having him in power. And right to the very end he has shown his class by acceding to the demands of his political party, the ANC, in stepping down.
In
spite of what has befallen President Mbeki, I think history’s verdict
of him will be kind. He is one of the few cerebral presidents in
Africa who tried to do their best for their nation and people. He can leave office with his dignity intact and his head held high. Schools
of Government wherever they may exist on the African continent will do
well to beat a path to his doorstep, in order to drink from his deep
reservoir of knowledge.
Farewell Thabo Mbeki, illustrious son of the illustrious Govan Mbeki; son of
Africa, may the Sun always shine upon you!
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Authors 
Posted by Robot| 24.09.2008 02:45