22 March 2009

Former president Thabo Mbeki says he chose not to fight the ANC's bold decision to oust him from office last September out of fear of destabilising the country and tarnishing South Africa's image overseas.

"The principal reason I took this position was that I wanted to ensure the country was not subjected to any instability arising from the decision of the ANC NEC, and which would adversely affect the masses of the people, as well as impact negatively on our country's standing in Africa and the rest of the world," said the 66-year-old.

Yet, after all that has been said and done, and after often bitter and acrimonious communication between himself and the party he served for more than 50 years, Mbeki insists there is no ill feeling between him and his successor, Jacob Zuma, the man who presided over the NEC meeting that led to Mbeki's downfall six months ago on Saturday.

"I know of no instance when I have experienced such personal animosity," Mbeki recently told The Thinker, the monthly journal to be launched on Wednesday under the editorship of the former president's long-time comrade and former colleague Essop Pahad.

"Most certainly, such animosity would not have emanated from me," he said in a tone very different from that of the exhaustive letter he penned to Zuma last October when he took issue with the kind of organisation the ANC had become.

Then he wasted no words in saying that he found "it strange in the extreme" that cadres could "publicly declare a determination to 'kill' to defend your (Zuma's) own cause, the personal interests of 'the personality', Jacob Zuma." It was also then that Mbeki told his former comrade he could not bring himself to "promote the political fortunes" of the ANC in the upcoming election.

Today, however, the tone between the two appears far more conciliatory. In the same issue of the journal, Pahad asks Zuma about his views on Mbeki as both cadre and leader down the years.

"I have a great deal of respect for Comrade Mbeki's many talents and the role he played over the 50 years he has been in the ANC," the 67-year-old party chief responded about the man whose administration he dubbed a "dead snake" not worthy of consideration just days after he allowed the axe to come down on Mbeki's political life.

"We worked together for many years whilst we were in exile, and worked closely on strategies we would deploy as we moved into the negotiations era," Zuma said.

Reflecting on his nearly 10 years as head of state, Mbeki said that although gains had been many during his tenure, not nearly enough was achieved "in terms of building an efficient and effective system of local government. We must also say the same thing with regard to the reduction of the unemployment levels, and the related challenge of radically raising the skills levels of our people," he said.

"The achievement of the goal of building a non-racial and non-sexist society means, critically, that we must continuously reduce the inequalities in wealth, income and opportunity that continue to characterise our country".

"The major weakness has been the implementation of our good policies," Zuma responded when he was asked to reflect on the shortcomings of the Mbeki era.

With an eye on government life post-April 22nd, he said "co-ordination of the planning" must improve "to ensure that cross-cutting issues are well synchronised", as well as improving "the oversight on the executive to ensure that many good policies and plans have clearly defined delivery plans". Trotting out a familiar line, Zuma promised to "strengthen the role Parliament plays" and to "hold minister, premiers, MECs and councillors more accountable".

On the thorny issue of Zimbabwe, the transition of which Mbeki presided over for a number of years before his demise, and which many would argue sorely stained his legacy, the former president insists the inclusive government now in place in Harare is a reflection of "the right to self determination" which "Zimbabweans are as entitled to… as we and everybody else in the world is."

"Over the years we have insisted that, as in our case, the Zimbabweans must take responsibility for their own destiny," Mbeki said.

"A very fundamental element in my political upbringing has been the imperative to ensure that we as Africans achieve and exercise our right to self-determination".

However, a critical point which Mbeki fails to recognise, and which Pahad fails to engage him on, is that it was this time last year that the majority of the Zimbabwean electorate called for change when 48 percent of them voted for Morgan Tsvangirai as the preferred candidate in the presidential election, compared to the 43 percent who voted in favour of Robert Mugabe, yet it is the latter who remains as the incumbent today under the unity government that Mbeki himself negotiated.