I voted for Mbeki

“This is quite interesting … we think of white people who ‘never supported apartheid’. You find in the ANC that no one supported Mbeki.” (Columnist and academic Jacob Dlamini.)

Dlamini was addressing an audience at the annual Ruth First lecture in Johannesburg alongside Frene Ginwala, the ANC veteran and former speaker of Parliament. Although the main topic of the evening appeared to be the lack of accountability by local councillors to the ANC it immediately struck me that what Dlamini was saying was not a million miles away from the truth.

Indeed it would seem as if those loyal to former president Thabo Mbeki are a long way from where they need to be if they want to achieve the positions they desire. Professing support for our previous head of state seemingly a one-way ticket to political oblivion.

How soon people forget their prior loyalty and how fickle we all are when it suits our purposes.

One hundred days into the Zuma presidency and I am more than happy with the signals being sent to the country by the president, the government and the ruling party. They are trying to be as inclusive as possible while tackling the hard yards such as health, education, poverty and land reform against the backdrop of a recovering but still unforgiving world economy.

Of course you lot will list Shaik, dodgy arms deals, attack on the provinces etc etc as proof that all is not what it should be but that does not detract from my so far, so good reading of the situation.

What does concern me is the fact that the same problems facing Zuma now, confronted Mbeki towards the end of his second term. In no particular order they are inter alia — ANCYL indiscipline and refusal to respect senior members of the ANC, Cosatu and the SACP approaching matters on the basis that best suits them rather than the country or the government, opportunists seeking office at the expense of the government’s credibility and those who would endear themselves to the president by slating the former president.

The list is indicative of the conduct Zuma could do without but is by no means exhaustive of the problems being experienced.

As opposed to a more benign approach that could have been adopted by labour, youth leaguers who could have afforded him the opportunity to settle in, acceptance that getting behind Zuma may mean sacrificing a top post you may have had your eye on or cementing relations between the two factions instead of blaming Mbeki whenever you believe it makes you look more appealing to the president.

Of course the less said about the disgusting conduct of some towards Mbeki at the end of his term the better. They displayed a total disregard towards the man, the country which selected him as its president and the ruling party that chose him as its leader.

That conduct must be put to bed now and cut down whenever it raises its ugly head.

I would now confirm that I voted for Mbeki, believe he had his faults (as do all our presidents) but will be remembered far more fondly by history than those who presently seek to score points by discrediting him.

This means that I can safely kiss the deputy presidency, car, house (if they could only evict … ) and all the rest goodbye.

Perhaps an ambassadorial position …