The Fall of Thabo Mbeki
September 21st 2008 22:37
We knew it would come sooner or later. We all expected South African President Thabo Mbeki to exit from the political stage early next year, as his term limit approached and he reluctantly handed the government over to his likely successor, Jacob Zuma. It seems, however, that Mbeki thought it was better to jump before he got pushed and this weekend he went on national TV to announce he was resigning as President a few months early. You may ask why someone would taint the way their leadership was written in the history books by resigning so close to the end of their time at the top. The answer is a familiar one to many leaders of African nations: the charges of corruption caught up to him in the end.
If this was one of many other African nations engulfed in corruption the leader would just stay on regardless of external or internal pressures. If he was the President of one of those countries, Mbeki would have stayed right where he was. He would have watched his term limit pass by from his Presidential office and claim ‘exceptional circumstances’ requiring him to stay on just a bit longer. But this is not another African nation and Mbeki suffers for just the thing he fought for during Apartheid. Mbeki fought, alongside people like Nelson Mandela, fought for a fair system of government for all citizens of South Africa and in time they achieved just that. It is that fair system that, at the end of the day, caught up with President Mbeki. He is accused of putting pressure on judges in the trial of his former deputy and likely successor Jacob Zuma. Zuma was accused of achieving personal benefit from influencing a government arms deal and abusing his power. Although Zuma beat the charges, Mbeki fired him as his deputy and made him persona non grata amongst the rest of the African National Congress. That is where Mbeki made a fatal mistake. It is suggested that Mbeki tried to influence the judge in the trial to convict his former deputy and political rival, possibly just to make sure that he had no chance at the Presidency when Mbeki walked away. Either way, the judge didn’t take kindly to this and called Mbeki out. We have seen the results of that: Mbeki had to go.
So in the great power struggle between Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma, it seems as though Zuma has beaten everything Mbeki has tried to throw at him and survived to be the winner in the contest. The question is, who is Jacob Zuma? Well, he is the leader of the leftists in the ANC to begin with. He is the most prominent Zulu in South African politics and served ten years with Mandela at Robben Island for allegedly trying to overthrow the government. When he got out he was active in helping refugees from South Africa in neighbouring countries and went on to serve as the Chief of Intelligence for the ANC. When the Apartheid regime collapsed, Zuma entered Parliament and eventually rose through the ranks to become Mbeki’s deputy. He is a socialist, and a bigamist with five wives and three more fiancées. He has said that he has a social and historical bond with the political party of Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe, as they both fought against white oppression, however has recently called on Mugabe to step down as leader.
And then there is the rape charge. Depending on who you ask, it is either yet another crime that Zuma managed to slide his way out of or it was a vast political conspiracy designed to lock Zuma out of politics once and for all. The charges were that Zuma had raped the daughter of a colleague and prominent AIDS activist in late 2005. Zuma said that they had a relationship but that it had been completely consensual. Although he was acquitted, Zuma got most attention not for the trial itself but for his claims that he did have unprotected sex with the HIV Positive woman and that he had a shower afterwards to reduce the risk that he had caught HIV. Ignorant, sure, but why so important? Well, at the time, Zuma was the head of South Africa’s National AIDS Council. Oh dear.
Now Mbeki is gone and they are looking for someone to replace him until the next election is held early next year. Without Mbeki’s obstruction, Zuma looks like he will be a shoe-in to be the President of South Africa in the New Year, with ANC Secretary-General Gwede Mantashe likely to fill-in until the election. I think the biggest tragedy of Mbeki’s career won’t be any of his actions in the top job. No, the biggest tragedy will be that he could not stop Zuma becoming the President after he was gone. He tried his best, but all he got was a kick out the door.
At least we know who Mbeki will be voting for in the New Year. Anyone but Zuma.
If this was one of many other African nations engulfed in corruption the leader would just stay on regardless of external or internal pressures. If he was the President of one of those countries, Mbeki would have stayed right where he was. He would have watched his term limit pass by from his Presidential office and claim ‘exceptional circumstances’ requiring him to stay on just a bit longer. But this is not another African nation and Mbeki suffers for just the thing he fought for during Apartheid. Mbeki fought, alongside people like Nelson Mandela, fought for a fair system of government for all citizens of South Africa and in time they achieved just that. It is that fair system that, at the end of the day, caught up with President Mbeki. He is accused of putting pressure on judges in the trial of his former deputy and likely successor Jacob Zuma. Zuma was accused of achieving personal benefit from influencing a government arms deal and abusing his power. Although Zuma beat the charges, Mbeki fired him as his deputy and made him persona non grata amongst the rest of the African National Congress. That is where Mbeki made a fatal mistake. It is suggested that Mbeki tried to influence the judge in the trial to convict his former deputy and political rival, possibly just to make sure that he had no chance at the Presidency when Mbeki walked away. Either way, the judge didn’t take kindly to this and called Mbeki out. We have seen the results of that: Mbeki had to go.
So in the great power struggle between Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma, it seems as though Zuma has beaten everything Mbeki has tried to throw at him and survived to be the winner in the contest. The question is, who is Jacob Zuma? Well, he is the leader of the leftists in the ANC to begin with. He is the most prominent Zulu in South African politics and served ten years with Mandela at Robben Island for allegedly trying to overthrow the government. When he got out he was active in helping refugees from South Africa in neighbouring countries and went on to serve as the Chief of Intelligence for the ANC. When the Apartheid regime collapsed, Zuma entered Parliament and eventually rose through the ranks to become Mbeki’s deputy. He is a socialist, and a bigamist with five wives and three more fiancées. He has said that he has a social and historical bond with the political party of Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe, as they both fought against white oppression, however has recently called on Mugabe to step down as leader.
And then there is the rape charge. Depending on who you ask, it is either yet another crime that Zuma managed to slide his way out of or it was a vast political conspiracy designed to lock Zuma out of politics once and for all. The charges were that Zuma had raped the daughter of a colleague and prominent AIDS activist in late 2005. Zuma said that they had a relationship but that it had been completely consensual. Although he was acquitted, Zuma got most attention not for the trial itself but for his claims that he did have unprotected sex with the HIV Positive woman and that he had a shower afterwards to reduce the risk that he had caught HIV. Ignorant, sure, but why so important? Well, at the time, Zuma was the head of South Africa’s National AIDS Council. Oh dear.
Now Mbeki is gone and they are looking for someone to replace him until the next election is held early next year. Without Mbeki’s obstruction, Zuma looks like he will be a shoe-in to be the President of South Africa in the New Year, with ANC Secretary-General Gwede Mantashe likely to fill-in until the election. I think the biggest tragedy of Mbeki’s career won’t be any of his actions in the top job. No, the biggest tragedy will be that he could not stop Zuma becoming the President after he was gone. He tried his best, but all he got was a kick out the door.
At least we know who Mbeki will be voting for in the New Year. Anyone but Zuma.
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