Progressive Zimbabweans, enlightened Africans and democrats with a keen interest in Zimbabwean politics can now reach a verdict that president Thabo Mbeki of South Africa has irretrievably lost his Pan African bearings. For all his eccentric adventurism and misdeamenors, African National Congress [ANC] boss Jacob Zuma, compared to Mr Mbeki, would now easily pass for a saint on his constructive perspective of the Zimbabwean situation....
In this case, Thabo Mbeki is aware that Mugabe had access to the official presidential 'results' before everyone else - a violation of the law - then he decides that he lost on the basis of 'fraudulent misrepresentation' in twenty-one constituencies, after almost nine days of state propaganda, Mugabe blocks access to the true results before ordering a recount! As if to rub pepper into Thabo Mbeki's dazed eyes, Mugabe 'kidnaps' the Zimbabwe Election Commission [ZEC] by literally translocating it to a secret location, arrests several of his own polling officers for good measure and then sets dates for a ballot recount. The good president Thabo Mbeki applauds this tragic drama with a broad smile and boldly states: “It’s a normal electoral process according to the law of Zimbabwe." How ‘normal’ is president Thabo Mbeki's perception of Zimbabwe's political tragedy? The answer perhaps lies in his pre-Polokwane ANC factional wars with Jacob Zuma.
Current ANC president Zuma is a populist who preached a pro-worker message at the expense of Thabo Mbeki's 'pro-capitalist' image. Mbeki's close association with South Africa's business portrays him as a good liberal who appreciates that a healthy business sector is good for economic growth. But to the rank and file of ANC derived mainly from the unemployed poor and lowly workers, a man who associates with big business is considered 'anti-revolutionary.' Mbeki then flies directly into the face of ANC extremists by associating with Professor Welshman Ncube, Morgan Tsvangirayi's bitter rival, who is a labour activist of strong ties with [Confederation of South African Trade Unions] COSATU's Zwelibanzi Vavi. Therefore, it makes political sense for Mbeki to occupy the opposing camp with anyone who resents Morgan Tsvangirayi, even if the camp is owned, controlled and run by Robert Mugabe. Thus, Mr Zuma's missiles against Mugabe are collateral damage in his war against Thabo Mbeki.
The only problem for Mbeki is that to Zimbabweans and enlightened Africans world over, he is a Pan Africanist betting on an old horse that has galloped well out of the political racetrack. If there had been any semblance of integrity left of his image as a sensible statesman, it went up in flames in that single "no crisis in Zimbabwe" statement....
I published this for those unaware of the "inside" gossip on the SA ANC
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