Mbeki is out of South Africa
Trip Start
May 25, 2005
1
273
284
Trip End
Ongoing
Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park,
South Africa
Saturday, September 20, 2008
What to feel?
Scared that the Zuma crones will get in.
Scared that no one will challenge the Zuma claim to the throne.
Worried that the ANC Youth league has so much power.
Concerned that democracy is being slowly eaten away after so hard a struggle.
Will the history books reveal the extent of the political manipulation post 1994 in South Africa? Will Mandela and Tutu speak up now when we need their voices most?
As reported by the BBC: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/7626646.stm
"South African President Thabo Mbeki will accept a call to resign by the governing African National Congress (ANC), his spokesman has said.Mukoni Ratshitanga said Mr Mbeki would leave his post once "all constitutional requirements have been met"
Jacob Zuma (AP Image)
.It comes days after a High Court judge suggested that Mr Mbeki may have interfered in a corruption case against his rival, ANC leader Jacob Zuma.Mr Zuma was expected to succeed Mr Mbeki in scheduled elections next year.
The decision to call for Mr Mbeki's early resignation was taken at a meeting of the ANC's National Executive Committee (NEC).
He said Mr Mbeki, who has ruled for more than a decade, "did not display shock" at the decision and had agreed to participate "in the process and the formalities".
The decision had been taken for "stability and for a peaceful and prosperous South Africa", Mr Mantashe told a news conference.
The ANC secretary general said this was not punishment for Thabo Mbeki, adding that the president would be given the chance to continue his role as mediator in Zimbabwe.
At the same time, ANC cabinet members are being urged to remain in government to ensure continued stability"
Thabo Mbeki (AFP image)
.The BBC's Peter Biles in Pretoria says this dramatic decision will fundamentally change South Africa's political landscape.
Mr Mbeki fired Jacob Zuma as deputy president in 2005 after his financial adviser was found guilty of soliciting a bribe on his behalf.
But Mr Zuma returned to the political stage to topple his rival as ANC leader in bitterly contested elections last year.
Earlier this month a High Court judge dismissed corruption and other charges against Mr Zuma, saying there was evidence of political interference in the investigation.
In his ruling the judge said it appeared that Mr Mbeki had colluded with prosecutors against Jacob Zuma as part of the "titanic power struggle" within the ANC.
The accusation was strongly denied by Mr Mbeki.
Perhaps his biggest policy success has been South Africa's rapid economic growth since the end of apartheid and the rise of a black middle class - but to the anger of many, wealth is more unevenly distributed than ever before.
Mr Mantashe said Mr Zuma was meeting with Cabinet ministers to persuade them to remain in government. He said the top priority was to focus on "ensuring the smooth running of the country."
So, we will see what happens now in this democratic (?) society!
